Current international scenarios for limiting global warming to less than 1.5 degrees by the end of the century rely on technologies that remove carbon dioxide (CO ₂ ) from the Earth's atmosphere faster than humans release it. This means removing CO ₂ at a rate of 1-30 gigatons per year by 2050.

However, estimates of the speed with which these technologies can be deployed have been highly speculative. Findings from a new study led by researchers at Imperial College London now show that existing projections are unlikely to be feasible at current growth rates.

The study found that up to 16 gigatons of CO2 could be stored by 2050 _under land annually. However, achieving this goal would require a huge increase in storage capacity and scaling in the coming decades, which is not expected given the current pace of investment, development and deployment. (Imperial College London, more at phys.org)

The reality is that greenhouse gases are already accumulating dangerously and affecting our planet's climate for decades. Humanity must strive to achieve zero net emissions.

Net zero is an effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as low as possible to zero, with any remaining emissions having to be reabsorbed from the atmosphere by, for example, oceans and forests. This goal is achieved when a business removes all the emissions it can and offsets those that cannot be reduced in other ways. The process of achieving zero emissions begins with a basic calculation of emissions in scopes 1, 2 and 3, setting science-based targets and creating plans for decarbonisation by 2030. It then moves towards the long-term capture, storage and sequestration of emissions that cannot be reduced.

To understand decarbonization and the concept of net zero, it's helpful to imagine an overflowing bathtub. Decarbonization allows us to turn off the tap and stop the flow of new carbon into the atmosphere. We will reach net zero when we "drain the tub" and use carbon removal techniques to eliminate excess carbon from the atmosphere and store it safely. Not all carbon removal methods are equally effective. For example, although tree planting is commonly proposed as a way to offset greenhouse gas emissions, it may not have an immediate effect, as trees may take years to decades to reach their maximum carbon sequestration potential. Additionally, trees are vulnerable to fires, which release carbon back into the atmosphere and impair the effectiveness of their function as carbon sinks.

On the other hand, exciting innovations are emerging in the field of carbon removal. New technologies offer promising prospects, although they require investment and expansion of their reach. Direct capture from the air is still in its development phase and there are significant doubts about its ability to reach the necessary volumes to effectively affect global carbon levels.

Furthermore, currently existing carbon capture technologies are only able to absorb 2 billion tons of CO2 per year, which is not enough to meet the limits needed to limit global warming. A report published in the journal Nature warns that an additional 0.96 billion tonnes of CO2 per year need to be removed from the atmosphere to meet climate targets, showing a gaping gap between current capacities and needs to achieve true decarbonisation.

In essence, while innovations in carbon sequestration are proving necessary, they are only one part of the larger picture of global decarbonization efforts. The path to a sustainable and low-carbon future requires a comprehensive strategy that combines carbon sequestration with fundamental emission reductions, the expansion of renewable energy sources and fundamental changes in policy and behaviour.

Scientists, governments, business leaders, policy makers and individuals now recognize the need to transform our systems towards a decarbonised economy and resource efficiency in order to mitigate and adapt to climate change. Decarbonisation is a signal for a climate-resilient future.

Although many companies have announced that they will achieve zero emissions by 2050, recent estimates suggest that we are not on track to meet the Paris Agreement targets – we need to do more and faster. In addition, many corporate commitments do not take into account scope 3 emissions, with up to 90 % of business emissions falling into this category, indicating that there is still much work to be done to decarbonise our economies.

Decarbonisation is not an easy task and will require billions of investments, but with the active involvement of global companies we can get closer to this goal.

The benefits of decarbonisation for businesses are:

– Lower financial risk

– Protection against rising carbon prices

– Avoiding accusations of greenwashing

– Compliance with the rapidly changing regulatory framework

How can businesses achieve decarbonisation and net zero?

Companies can achieve real decarbonisation through the following steps:

1. Data collection

2. Accounting for emissions in all relevant areas

3. Reporting emissions and ESG — either as a base year or otherwise

4. Setting a goal (ideally scientifically based)

5. Review of potential decarbonisation tools and their costs

6. Implementation of selected tools (within the value chain and beyond)

7. Development of a strategy to achieve net zero emissions

8. Annual settlement of emissions and reporting

9. Neutralization of excessive emissions on an annual basis

10. Creation of a plan to achieve zero emissions after the implementation of the planned decarbonization goals

By taking consistent steps, businesses can move from high-carbon activities to sustainability leaders, exemplifying a responsible business approach to climate change mitigation. The path to decarbonisation is not only about compliance, but also a strategic step towards greater resilience, innovation and long-term value creation in a dynamic world. (Co2AI)

Climatologists have warned of catastrophic consequences if global temperatures continue to rise. But macroeconomists have mostly told a less alarming story, predicting modest reductions in productivity and spending as the world warms. Finally, the pair emerged with an economic forecast that was more worrying than previous predictions. The world is already 1°C warmer than in pre-industrial times. The new analysis found that every additional 1°C increase means a 12 % hit to global GDP, with losses peaking just six years after the warmer temperature was recorded. (Christy DeSmith, Harvard Gazette, more at phys.org)

For centuries, climate change has been a hotly debated topic with far-reaching consequences. But have you ever considered how drastic an effect it might have had on prehistoric humans, especially during the Ice Age in Europe?

A major new study published in the journal Science Advances brought to light chilling facts that reveal how climate change directly affected the demographics of Europe's first hunter-gatherers. Extreme cold periods caused a sharp decline in population, even to the extent of near-extinction in the West. (Rodielon Putol, more at earth.com)

According to the Austrian mobility and transport organization VCÖ, the heat from standing or driving cars, together with the sealed surfaces of roads and parking lots, contributes up to 30 % to urban heat generated by people. Traffic in cities thus significantly contributes to increasing heat-related health risks and reduces the quality of life of citizens. Fewer roads, shaded infrastructure and more green spaces to stimulate active mobility and more public transport can reduce urban heat stress and associated health risks. (More on climate-adapt.eea.europa.eu)

There may be an influx of silver liquid in our future. The Arctic has kept mercury deposits locked away for centuries, but global warming threatens to release these stores into the environment. Mercury can be toxic and can cause serious health consequences in high concentrations. The melting of permafrost could also lead to other ecological consequences that threaten people and the ecosystem. (DEVIKA RAO, more at WEEK US)

"Climate change is sometimes misunderstood as weather change. In fact, it is about changes in the way we live.” The statement hit the nail on the head, as despite significant efforts, including the implementation of the Paris Agreement and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world still faces serious climate challenges. They intensify with each passing day and pose serious risks to the Earth and future generations.

It is time to think about the need to replace the Paris Agreement with a reformulated, strong international framework. Legally binding regulations incorporating a reformed restrictive approach represent an intense and urgent need to address global challenges.

As the American writer Claire Cook said: “If plan A doesn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters.

A silent offender

One critical area to prioritize is an agreement to control activities that produce nitrous oxide (N₂O) or laughing gas, a major greenhouse gas (GHG) that has an atmospheric warming potential 300 times that of carbon dioxide (CO2) and it can last more than 100 years.

Together with CO2 and methane, it contributes to human climate change, pollutes the soil, water and air and damages the ozone layer. ( Abdullah Belhaif Al Nuaimi , more at etedge-insights.com)

Decarbonization of the business sector is an integral part of reaching drawdown, that is, the moment when the amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) in the atmosphere begins to decrease. Enormous opportunities open up for businesses that become supporters of reducing emissions. It is already proven that climate leaders in the private sector can benefit in many ways from the transition to zero emissions.

Studies have shown that companies with lower carbon emissions are more attractive to investors, have better talent retention, higher financial performance, cost savings, lower regulatory risks and access to cheaper capital. Enterprises that are the first to adapt to low-carbon business models create greater value for shareholders and stakeholders.

In addition, low-carbon production is a key part of environmental social governance (ESG). ESG integration provides companies with a clear competitive advantage, as studies have shown that investors and consumers prefer sustainable and ethical brands. Being a low-carbon company also reduces risk, as businesses can avoid greenwashing and its negative consequences while preparing for upcoming news and regulations.

What is good decarbonization?

The benefits of decarbonizing your business are clear and numerous. But how to achieve real decarbonisation? In order to set science-based targets (SBTs) and strategically reduce their emissions, businesses must first understand where and how they produce greenhouse gases throughout their supply chain.

Therefore, the first step to reducing a company's carbon footprint is to monitor scopes 1, 2 and 3 using carbon accounting. Accurate carbon accounting allows companies to see where they have the highest emissions and where efforts to reduce them could have the most significant impact. In the field of environmental impact, the more information you have, the more effectively you can act.

A good decarbonisation process is characterized by a strategic, informed and committed approach to reducing carbon emissions in all aspects of business operations. These efforts not only contribute to the creation of a decarbonized economy, but also provide compelling evidence of the economic viability and growth potential for businesses that adopt decarbonization. By consistently carbon accounting, setting ambitious but achievable SBTs and investing in clean technology, businesses can lead the way in building a more sustainable and low-carbon future. (Co2AI).

Air pollution is making summer storms more intense and dangerous, according to a new James Madison University (JMU) study. Experts have found that in an unstable atmosphere, pollution particles increase the number of lightning strikes between clouds and the ground.

To examine the relationship between air pollutants and thunderstorms, the researchers examined half a million thunderstorms in two distinct areas: Washington, DC, and Kansas City, Missouri. They focused on the aerosol and thermodynamic environment surrounding storm initiation.

“Regional weather patterns differ in their propensity to produce thunderstorms and lightning. However, these weather patterns may also be related to different traffic directions and air pollution concentrations," the researchers noted. (Chrissy Sexton, more at earth.com)

In recent years, scientists have tracked and measured the flow of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC), which Americans often call the Gulf Stream, although this flow is only part of this huge ocean current. It has long been believed that the AMOC - which transports heat from the tropics to Greenland, Iceland and northern Europe, making them much warmer than they would otherwise be - will continue to flow with no discernible end date.

But two recent studies suggest that sometime around mid-century, the current could not just slow down but stop altogether, dropping temperatures in northern Europe dramatically. An earlier study from 2023 suggested that the collapse could occur sometime between 2025 and 2095, a wide interval but really a blink of an eye in geologic time. The most recent study published this year used a more sophisticated model and narrowed the window from 2037 to 2064. Both studies put the most likely collapse date at mid-century (either 2050 or 2057). (Kurt Cobb, originally published by Resource Insights, more at resilience.org)

Soot, the black carbon that triggers smog and coughing fits, is also the biggest contributor to global warming after carbon dioxide, according to a four-year assessment by US scientists. A new study concludes that black carbon, the soot particles in smoke and smog, contributes about twice as much to global warming as previously estimated, even by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in 2007.

"We were surprised by its potential contribution to climate," said Sarah Doherty, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Washington (UW) and one of the four lead authors, reports the Journal of Geophysical Research-Atmospheres.

Black carbon contributes to climate change in mid- to high latitudes, including the northern US, Canada, northern Europe, and northern Asia, as well as influencing the precipitation patterns of the Asian monsoon. (IANS, more at khaleejtimes.com)

Light is made up of packets of energy called photons. Molecules like CO ₂ they can only absorb them when the packets have exactly the right amount of energy to move the molecule into another quantum mechanical state. Carbon dioxide is usually found in its "ground state," where its three atoms form a line with the carbon atom in the center, equidistant from the others. A molecule also has "excited" states in which its atoms wave or wobble. A photon of 15-micron light contains the exact energy needed to spin a carbon atom around a central point in a kind of hula-hoop motion. Climate scientists have long blamed this hula-hoop condition on the greenhouse effect, but — as Ångström hypothesized — the effect requires too precise an amount of energy, Wordsworth and his team found. The hula-hoop condition cannot explain the relatively slow decline in photon absorption rates beyond 15 microns, so it cannot explain climate change by itself. (JOSEPH HOWLETT, more at wired.com)

Climate policy has become a global priority, with countries around the world trying to implement effective measures to combat climate change. But the conversation around these policies often gets bogged down in debates about which approaches actually reduce emissions and which lag behind real progress.

Moreover, many discussions focus primarily on mainstream policies, overlooking many lesser-known but potentially effective measures.

A recent study aims to expand this perspective by providing a comprehensive analysis of the various climate policy instruments implemented over the past two decades. (Rodielon Putol, more at earth.com)

The EU Funding Portal is a searchable database of financing options for SMEs available in the EU. The database contains grants for innovation and business development, acceleration programs.

EU FUNDING PROGRAMS

Connecting Europe Facility COSME, Creative Europe Program Digital Europe ECCP EISMEA EIT (European Institute of Innovation and Technology) EIT Climate-KIC EIT Digital EIT Food EIT Health EIT InnoEnergy EIT Manufacturing EIT Raw Materials EIT Urban Mobility Eureka European Space Agency Horizon Innovation Europe has passed, Innovative Health Initiative Fund Interreg Europe, InvestEU LIFE Music moves Europe outside the EU (More on eufundingportal.eu)

As we stand at a crossroads in historical development, understanding and embracing decarbonisation may be key to the future of our planet. The main task of decarbonization is to contribute to the creation of a sustainable and climate-neutral world.

What does decarbonization actually mean?

It is the process of reducing or completely eliminating carbon emissions that are caused by human activity. This process is achieved by combined measures to reduce carbon emissions in the activities of individuals or organizations. Decarbonisation differs from climate neutrality in that it focuses on the specific reduction of carbon emissions, while climate neutrality can also be achieved by purchasing carbon credits. Following the signing of the Paris Agreement in 2015, decarbonisation became a priority, with agreed targets calling for limiting global warming to below 2°C and achieving zero emissions by 2050.

Our common goal is to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide as quickly as possible. This process requires large-scale and incremental changes across different sectors and industries. Although the energy sector is the most visible, other significant sources of emissions include food waste, the cement industry, steel and agriculture.

Why is decarbonisation so important?

The urgency of this process stems from clear evidence of climate change caused by increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, especially CO2 from fossil fuels. These gases trap heat and lead to increasingly intense climate extremes such as drought, floods, wildfires and powerful hurricanes. These events threaten the environment as well as people's lives, property and livelihood. Melting glaciers contribute to rising sea levels, which threatens coastal areas and ecosystems.

In addition to the ecological aspects, the unregulated release of greenhouse gases has profound economic and social impacts. Supply chains, agricultural productivity and water availability are under pressure, leading to food insecurity, displacement and competition for limited resources. These disruptions can threaten decades of economic progress and deepen global inequalities.

Decarbonisation is a viable way to deal with these challenges. By transitioning to a low-carbon global economy, we can try to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and thereby slow down global warming and limit its most serious consequences. This transition includes transitioning to renewable energy sources, increasing energy efficiency, and researching innovations in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies.

In addition to preventing ecological disaster, decarbonization also offers an opportunity to promote economic growth through the development of green technologies and sustainable industries. Investments in renewable energy sources not only reduce carbon emissions, but also create new jobs, stimulate technological progress and contribute to energy independence.

The importance of decarbonisation goes beyond environmental protection. It is a comprehensive approach that responds to the various challenges brought about by climate change. By committing to decarbonisation, we have the chance to protect our planet for future generations, promote economic stability and contribute to a fairer society. It's time to act. Postponing the decision will only worsen the consequences and make them irreversible. (Co2AI)

Boreal forest soils are key reservoirs that help keep the carbon dioxide that trees breathe in and use for photosynthesis from escaping back into the atmosphere. But a unique experiment led by Peter Reich of the University of Michigan shows that on a warming planet, more carbon is escaping from the soil than is being added by plants. This is not good news because it suggests that as the world warms, soils will return some of their carbon to the atmosphere," said Reich, director of the Institute for Global Change Biology at UM. (University of Michigan, more at phys.org)

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing our understanding of climate change, particularly how global warming affects extreme weather events. Unprecedented heat in recent years has scorched the United States and other parts of the globe, highlighting the urgent need for accurate methods to measure this impact.

Scientists have been tirelessly searching for ways to quantify the impact of global warming on these extremes. (Rodielon Putol, more at earth.com)

Global temperatures have risen above 1.5°C for the first time in a year, posing a risk to international commitments under the Paris Agreement. (more…)

This study, published in the journal Science, provides a detailed analysis of the impact of a wide range of climate policy measures implemented over the past two decades. The findings reveal a sobering reality: many policy measures have failed to achieve the necessary scale of emissions reductions.

Only 63 cases of successful climate policies were identified, each leading to an average emission reduction of 19 %. A key characteristic of these successful cases is the inclusion of tax and price incentives in well-designed policy mixes. (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, more at phys.org)

EU Regulation 2023/1115 on products without deforestation (hereinafter "EUDR" ) entered into force on 29 June 2023. According to the EUDR, any operator or trader who places relevant commodities or their products on the EU market or exports from it must demonstrate that the products do not come from recently deforested land or have not contributed to forest degradation. The EUDR will apply to all products placed on the market from 30 December 2024 (30 June 2025 for small businesses).

the rules

Commodities such as beef, timber, cocoa, soya, palm oil, coffee, rubber and products derived from them such as leather, chocolate, tires or furniture can only be placed on the EU market, made available or exported from the EU if:

• are without deforestation (ie the relevant commodities must not be produced on land that was deforested after December 31, 2020, or in the case of wood and wood products, that the wood was harvested without forest degradation in the relevant forest after December 31, 2020);
• they were produced in accordance with the relevant legislation country of manufacture; a
• They are covered declaration of due diligence.

(John Gaffney, more at lexology.com)