Carbon removal isn’t weird anymore. That worries scientists

illuminem summarizes for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on Climate Wire or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Nearly 200 nations have agreed to move away from fossil fuels, while some oil and gas industry leaders, like Occidental Petroleum's CEO Vicki Hollub, envision a future where the industry thrives through carbon removal technologies
• This perspective highlights a growing debate over the role and reliance on such technologies in addressing climate change

🔭 The context: Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies were initially intended for offsetting hard-to-eliminate emissions from sectors like cement production and aviation
• However, the recent shift towards considering CDR as a larger part of climate strategy is raising concerns among scientists and environmentalists who argue this could delay essential reductions in fossil fuel emissions

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: The reliance on carbon removal technologies could potentially lead to a slower transition away from fossil fuels, increasing the total volume of emissions that need to be offset to achieve net-zero goals
• This shift in focus might undermine urgent climate action and the global commitment to limit temperature rise

⏭️ What's next: The global community faces a critical decision in balancing immediate emission reductions with the development of carbon removal technologies
• This balance is key to ensuring that net-zero targets are met without excessively depending on unproven or costly technologies

💬 One quote: “Carbon removal technologies offer an easy way out, to cover up business as usual, and the expansion of [polluting] industries right now — without any of the major transformations we need to see in rapid emissions cuts” (Lili Fuhr, Center for International Environmental Law)

📈 One stat: Major oil corporations like Chevron and Shell are involved in six of the 21 direct air capture hub development projects supported by the U.S. Department of Energy as of August

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