Technology alone cannot remove enough carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to keep global temperatures within safe limits.
While engineered solutions are advancing, experts say nature must play a central role in near-term carbon dioxide removal (CDR) efforts.
“We must rapidly reduce the production of new greenhouse gas emissions worldwide. At the same time, we must also remove and store excess carbon already polluting the atmosphere,” said Charlotte Streck of the University of Potsdam. She noted that while high-tech solutions are promising, they remain largely unproven at scale.
Instead, forests, soils and other ecosystems offer the fastest, most affordable path to draw down atmospheric carbon.
“It’s well established that forests and other ecosystems are effective at storing carbon – while also providing clean air and water, safeguarding biodiversity and keeping the planet cool,” Ms Streck added.
Matthew Brander from the University of Edinburgh explained: “Engineered novel CDR methods offer higher durability and lower reversal risks. However, conventional nature-based CDR methods that rely on storing carbon in vegetation and soil are the most immediately deployable methods at scale, and costs are comparatively low.”
Peter Ellis of The Nature Conservancy also emphasised the value of natural solutions:
Nature-based CDR is cheap and powered by photosynthesis, which has been in research and development in efficient self-replicating prototypes called plants for 3 billion years.”
The study urges policymakers to pursue a balanced portfolio of solutions which mitigates against risks of any one strategy on its own. The scientists say this path is most likely to make meaningful contributions toward achieving the Paris Agreement goals.
