Do we really need carbon removal? 5 insights from world’s top experts

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

🗞️ Driving the news: A new report reveals that up to 9 billion tons of carbon dioxide must be removed annually to avoid the worst impacts of global warming
• Currently, only 2 billion tons are removed, mainly through conventional methods like reforestation

🔭 The context: The State of Carbon Dioxide Removal report emphasizes that drastic scaling of carbon removal (CDR) methods is essential to limit global warming to 2 degrees Celsius
• Despite efforts, only 28 countries have plans to scale CDR by 2050, and current investments are far below what's needed

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Effective carbon removal is crucial to mitigate extreme weather, sea level rise, and sudden disasters
• With global emissions at 40 billion tons in 2023, increasing carbon removal efforts is imperative for climate stability

⏭️ What's next: Governments need to provide stronger policy support and incentives for CDR
• Both conventional methods like reforestation and advanced technologies like direct air capture must be scaled, each with its own set of challenges and benefits

💬 One quote: “We can and must stop burning fossil fuels ASAP... But because we have been so slow in getting our emissions down, we also now have a 'carbon debt' that we have to pay back by removing CO2 from the atmosphere,” says Cameron Hepburn, University of Oxford

📈 One stat: The State of CDR report estimates that annual investments of $1 trillion will be required to adequately scale carbon removal efforts—a third of the entire global energy industry

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