The world will need "carbon sucking" technology by 2030s, scientists warn.
As efforts to cut planet-warming emissions fall short, large-scale projects to suck carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere will be needed by the 2030s to hold the line against climate change, scientists have said.
“If you’re really concerned about coral reefs, biodiversity [and] food production in very poor regions, we’re going to have to deploy negative emission technology at scale,” said Bill Hare of Climate Analytics, a science and policy institute.
World leaders agreed in 2015 an aim of holding global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial times in order to protect small island nations from sea level rises, shore up food production and prevent extreme weather.
But the world is already halfway towards the point that could result in dangerous climate change, scientists have warned, after revealing that average global temperatures have recorded a rise of one degree Celsius for the first time.
These ideas include planting carbon-absorbing forests across large areas, then harvesting the wood for energy and pumping the emissions produced underground. Machines might also be developed to capture carbon dioxide directly from the air and pump it underground or otherwise neutralise it.