A taxonomy to map evidence on the co-benefits, challenges, and limits of carbon dioxide removal
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Pruetz, Ruben
Fuss, Sabine
Lueck, Sarah
Stephan, Leon
Rogelj, Joeri
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Carbon dioxide removal is key to climate change mitigation, yet implications of its deployment remain unclear. Recent exponential growth in literature is rapidly filling this gap but makes the synthesis of the evidence on carbon dioxide removal side effects increasingly challenging. Here we address this issue by mapping this literature and proposing a taxonomy to synthesize and compare evidence on carbon dioxide removal side effects. The expansive evidence warrants the use of machine learning to systematically select relevant research and provide an inventory of nearly 400 co-benefits, challenges, and limits. We find rich evidence in Europe but little information for Africa, South America, and Oceania, where large-scale carbon dioxide removal is nevertheless projected. There is a predominance of articles discussing negative effects compared to positive ones. Starting from the limitations of our analysis and literature gaps, we provide entry points for future studies that can build on our literature-based taxonomy.
Date Issued
2024-04-11
Date Acceptance
2024-04-02
Citation
Communications Earth & Environment, 2024, 5
ISSN
2662-4435
Publisher
Nature Portfolio
Journal / Book Title
Communications Earth & Environment
Volume
5
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2024. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1038/s43247-024-01365-z
Subjects
AFFORESTATION
BIOCHAR AMENDMENT
CLIMATE
EMISSIONS
Environmental Sciences
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
Geology
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
IMPACT
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
MANAGEMENT
Meteorology & Atmospheric Sciences
OPTIONS
Physical Sciences
Science & Technology
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
197
Date Publish Online
2024-04-11