The director of the renowned Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK) believes that it will be possible to artificially cool the Earth in the second half of this century in the fight against climate change. “There is an opportunity to reverse the global warming trend by – in addition to quickly reducing emissions to zero – also focusing on removing CO2 from the atmosphere,” said PIK director Ottmar Edenhofer in the “ Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”.
A tool for this is the so-called CO2 vacuum cleaners, or large filter systems. They suck in air, extract climate gas, which is then guided into the Earth’s crust and turns into stone, Edenhofer explains. “There are also other options, such as growing fast-growing biomass for combustion with CO2 capture or spreading crushed minerals on soil to speed up weathering,” the climate scientist added in the Sunday edition of the newspaper. “I am convinced that CO2 extraction and storage can save us from the worst.”
Experts see that industrialized countries have a duty
That’s why Edenhofer urged the Western world to build an industry for CO2 extraction and storage. “We can complement European emissions trading with trading in certificates for the extraction and storage of CO2,” he said. “I also see that the industrialized countries have a moral obligation here. Our past emissions have caused climate problems for the world, and the damage is most severe in the global south,” the scientist explains. “If we lower temperatures again by removing CO2, that would only be fair. We can and must create a planetary waste disposal system on a massive scale to clean the atmosphere of the junk we dumped into it.”
The PIK director emphasized that there is only a real chance of overcoming the climate crisis if emissions are actually reduced to almost zero. “If we fail to do that, and if we fail to remove enormous amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere in the second half of this century, we will have to come to terms with an Earth that is broadly hostile to humans . regions,” Edenhofer warned.
“There is no longer any doubt” about the fatal consequences
The pace set by politics is still far from correct. “The target of 1.5 degrees has become unattainable with direct means, the only way is an ‘overshoot’ and then return,” said the PIK director. “Without a more ambitious climate policy, the world is heading for a warming of about three degrees by the end of the century. The consequences – also for Europe – would be downright fatal. The state of knowledge leaves no doubt about this anymore.”
Source: Krone
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
