Why we all need a carbon removal budget

How you can help establish a global carbon removal budget

As the dust settles from COP29, one message resonates loud and clear: reducing emissions alone won’t be enough to keep global warming within 1.5°C. The world needs to both drastically reduce emissions and actively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. This reality demands a paradigm shift: instead of focusing solely on a carbon budget, we need to embrace a carbon removal budget as a key part of the solution.

A recent article from the World Economic Forum (WEF) underscores the urgency of this shift, emphasizing that carbon removal must complement emissions reductions in our global climate strategy.

The bathtub analogy: Why reductions and removals must work together

Imagine climate change as a bathtub overflowing with water. The water represents the carbon dioxide (CO₂) accumulating in our atmosphere. To stop the overflow and prevent flooding, you need to:

• First, turn off the faucet — emissions reductions.

• Next, open the drain — removing legacy CO₂ already in the atmosphere.

As Carbon180 reminded us in their November newsletter and with this visual, reducing emissions alone will slow the flow of water into the tub, but it won’t drain what has already spilled over. To restore balance, we need both actions working together.

Why Carbon Removal is essential

Global emissions have already surpassed what our carbon budget can safely accommodate. Even with ambitious emissions reduction targets, hard-to-abate sectors — like heavy industry, aviation, and agriculture — will continue to emit greenhouse gases for years.

This is where carbon removal comes in. By actively removing CO₂ from the atmosphere, carbon removal not only compensates for unavoidable emissions but also helps tackle centuries of excess emissions.

The WEF article highlights that without significant investment in carbon removal, the world risks falling short of its net-zero goals. A carbon removal budget is no longer optional — it’s essential.

Nature-based and engineered solutions: a partnership, not a competition

No single solution can solve it all. Both nature-based approaches (e.g., afforestation, reforestation, and soil carbon sequestration) and engineered methods (e.g., Direct Air Capture or DAC) play vital roles..

• Nature-based solutions are cost-effective and offer co-benefits for biodiversity. However, their permanence is limited — with risks like deforestation, wildfires, and land-use changes.

• Engineered solutions like DAC, excel in precision and permanence, safely storing CO₂ underground for millennia. While scaling requires investment, their reliability makes them indispensable at scale.

The key isn’t choosing one over the other. As WEF and Carbon180 stress, a successful strategy combines reductions and removals, nature, and technology—a balanced portfolio paving the way to net-zero.

How Climeworks is driving the carbon removal budget forward

At Climeworks, we’re committed to advancing this balanced approach. Our Direct Air Capture technology leads the way in engineered carbon removal, offering permanent storage solutions certified by independent third parties. But we also recognize the importance of working alongside nature-based solutions.

That’s why we’ve started offering tailor-made portfolios to our corporate clients in April 2024.

Now, we’re thrilled to announce the upcoming launch of our most exciting platform product to date: a solution that combines nature-based and engineered carbon removal into one seamless offering.

This new product will make it easier than ever for individuals and businesses to contribute to the global carbon removal budget — offering convenience, flexibility, and affordability, to maximize impact.

Join the movement

The climate crisis demands bold, collective action. Carbon removal is no longer a future consideration; it’s an urgent necessity today. By joining Climeworks Pioneers, you can be part of this critical effort — whether through our DAC technology alone or in combination with other nature-based and engineered solutions.

Together, let’s maximize our impact and create a climate-positive future for generations to come.

Are you ready?

With Climeworks Pioneers, you can directly support carbon removal solutions and join a community of like-minded people and organizations who are driving change.

Whether you’re an individual, a small business, or part of a global enterprise, Climeworks invites you to be part of the solution. Because solving the climate crisis isn’t about choosing one path over another – it’s about choosing every path that works.

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