Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)
File(s)
Author(s)
Bird, Jennifer
Hope, George
Smith, Steve
Westbury, Philippa
Type
Report
Abstract
Key points
• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is an umbrella term for techniques that capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it durably, as a result of human activity. CDR and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are not the same thing, although the terms are sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably.
• CDR has three potential uses in reaching climate goals: in the near term, to reduce net emissions; in the medium term, to counterbalance residual emissions to achieve ‘net zero’; and in the longer term, to achieve net-negative emissions in order to lower global temperatures if they exceed acceptable levels.
• Given the uncertainties, costs and resource constraints associated with CDR, pursuing rapid emissions reductions must be a priority to mitigate the risks of relying on large-scale CDR.
• Globally, almost all current removals come from CDR on land, primarily via afforestation, reforestation and improved management of existing forests. In future, CDR from ‘novel’ technologies will need to scale up rapidly – even for a lower-CDR pathways - requiring investment to stimulate innovation and drive down technology costs.
• Aligning climate and socio-ecological objectives in the development, deployment and regulation of CDR, while putting in place the appropriate regulatory frameworks, will help to ensure that co-benefits are realised and environmental harms are minimised.
• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) is an umbrella term for techniques that capture carbon dioxide from the air and store it durably, as a result of human activity. CDR and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are not the same thing, although the terms are sometimes incorrectly used interchangeably.
• CDR has three potential uses in reaching climate goals: in the near term, to reduce net emissions; in the medium term, to counterbalance residual emissions to achieve ‘net zero’; and in the longer term, to achieve net-negative emissions in order to lower global temperatures if they exceed acceptable levels.
• Given the uncertainties, costs and resource constraints associated with CDR, pursuing rapid emissions reductions must be a priority to mitigate the risks of relying on large-scale CDR.
• Globally, almost all current removals come from CDR on land, primarily via afforestation, reforestation and improved management of existing forests. In future, CDR from ‘novel’ technologies will need to scale up rapidly – even for a lower-CDR pathways - requiring investment to stimulate innovation and drive down technology costs.
• Aligning climate and socio-ecological objectives in the development, deployment and regulation of CDR, while putting in place the appropriate regulatory frameworks, will help to ensure that co-benefits are realised and environmental harms are minimised.
Date Issued
2024-11-22
Citation
Grantham Institute background briefing, 2024, pp.1-7
Publisher
Imperial Grantham Institute
Start Page
1
End Page
7
Journal / Book Title
Grantham Institute background briefing
Copyright Statement
© 2024 The authors, produced for The Grantham Institute. This work is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-No-Derivatives 4.0 International License. This license permits all or part of the work to be copied and shared with others, provided that the original authors and source are credited.
Publication Status
Published