Last year, the UK became the first major economy to pass a law on bringing all the country’s greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero by 2050. Net-zero means that any emissions produced will be balanced out by schemes to offset an equivalent amount of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere.
A few weeks ago, in our previous blog post, we talked about tree planting as such a solution. To recap: tree planting is part of the current set of best solutions to remove the greenhouse gasses we emit into the atmosphere. The World Economic Forum launched an initiative to plant one trillion trees by 2030. If successful, this initiative could sequester enough carbon to slow down and reverse climate change. But as we discussed, there are several barriers to planting this massive number of trees — space being one of them.
Solutions to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050
So, what are the other solutions that we could deploy to achieve the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050? Well, one solution would be to emit less in the first place. We already have some widely used technologies that have the potential to reduce climate change. Renewable energies like wind and solar power are becoming more efficient and cheaper, leading to steady growth in their deployment. However, entirely replacing traditional sources is impractical to the extent that renewable energy sources have considerable output variability as they depend on inconsistent environmental factors. Another problem that we see here is again the space required. Solar and wind infrastructure could take up over one-fifth of the world’s land!
Other technologies to achieve our common goal
But there are other technologies on the horizon that can help solve the problem by capturing carbon from the environment and storing it safely. Scientists have developed breakthrough technologies such as carbon capture or hydrogen fuel cells that could significantly contribute to halting carbon emissions by 2050.
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is such a technology. CCS can capture up to 90% of the carbon dioxide emissions produced from the use of fossil fuels in electricity generation and industrial processes, therefore preventing carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere. It consists of three parts: capturing the carbon dioxide, transporting it, and, securely storing it. Capture technologies separate the carbon dioxide from other gases that are produced in the process of generating electricity. This process happens directly at the exhaust streams of power generators or heavy industrial plants. The captured carbon is then transported by pipelines or ships. It is then stored in carefully selected geological rock formations that are typically located several kilometres below the earth’s surface. It can also be pumped into oil wells to boost production.
Carbon dioxide can also be captured directly from the open air through a technology called Carbon Dioxide Removal. Here, machines “filter” the air and catch the carbon through a chemical process. The benefit is that these machines can do it much faster than trees, allowing more carbon to be removed in less time. The devices concentrate the CO2, which can then be used as a raw material to produce speciality chemicals — often even substituting the use of fossil fuels. The carbon dioxide removal machines are placed alongside these chemical production factories to allow for short and efficient transportation.
Carbon Capture Storage in the UK
The UK government is prepared to spend over £1bn towards funding the infrastructure capable of capturing and storing or re-using millions of metric tons of carbon dioxide. £800m will go toward partially funding a “cluster” that captures emissions from factories and power stations by the middle of this decade. That might seem like a long time in the future, but in energy projects, 30 years are regarded as basically tomorrow, so it is even more important that we get moving sooner rather than later!
A new report released by UK Fire (a government-funded consortium of academics from Cambridge, Oxford, Nottingham, Bath and Imperial College London) warns that it will be very difficult to have CCS and Carbon Dioxide Removal operating at the scale needed to reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The main reason being that technology projects do not receive enough funding, the costs of renewable energy have plummeted, and the speed at which this technology can be deployed might have been exaggerated in the first place.
Individual action you can take
So, if we cannot rely on these technologies to halt climate change, what can, and should we do in the meantime? Well, there are very effective actions that can be implemented in the near-term and each one of us can contribute to them. Have you thought of cutting down on flying or reducing the amount of red meat and dairy products you consume? The UK Committee on Climate Change warns that livestock production for dairy and meat needs to be cut by 50% to be able to reach the goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.
As consumers, we have the power to vote with our money. We’re living in a new age of consumer activism, and our purchasing decisions send strong signals to companies that they also must change. We should be conscious of our buying habits and try to consume less, consume local, and choose products that have a better environmental impact.
