Carbon removal in transformation pathways

With global CO₂ emissions still on the rise, technologies to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere become ever more important to achieve the ambitious climate target laid out in the Paris Agreement. The permissible carbon budget compatible with 1.5°C temperature increase above pre-industrial levels could be exhausted already in the next few years, making carbon dioxide removal (CDR) a necessary requirement to achieve this target by reversing global warming. For global mean temperatures to remain well below 2°C, the absence of CDR would require unprecedented emission reduction rates associated with very high economic costs, making this target very likely unachievable without CDR as well. Various options for CDR are being discussed, which all have different costs, potentials, and side-effects. In addition, they also have very different regional profiles and institutional requirements. We will discuss carbon removal requirements and the associated costs, impacts, risks, and trade-offs, as well as regional profiles of different CDR options, which need to be taken into account for a fair distribution of climate change mitigation.