In her blog 'Climate Council report sheds new light on biogenic CO₂' On June 17, Marieke van der Werf gave her vision on the need for a new industry that removes CO₂ from the atmosphere to achieve climate goals.
To achieve its ambitious climate goals, the Netherlands urgently needs technologies that can effectively remove CO₂ from the atmosphere, according to the recent advice from the Scientific Climate Council (WKR) to the cabinet. Deputy WKR chairman Heleen de Coninck emphasizes: “We have to start now, otherwise the technology will not be ready in time to play the role that is desperately needed from 2035.”
The WKR proposes a government purchasing program to encourage companies to get started with CO₂ removal. “You cannot get this off the ground without active government intervention,” says De Coninck. Although the purchase costs money, the CO₂ removal certificates could prove valuable later as the government can sell them to companies with unavoidable emissions.
The report underlines that CO₂ removal is crucial to getting greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050, especially for sectors such as aviation and agriculture that cannot yet achieve complete net-zero emissions. In addition, measures are necessary to keep the global temperature increase below 1,5 degrees or to reduce it below again.
In the short term, planting forests is a known solution, but forests can burn down, releasing the stored CO₂. The WKR therefore recommends taking measures that permanently remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. A much-discussed method is the use of biomass for energy production, combined with CO₂ capture and storage. However, this method remains controversial because of the question of where enough biomass can be obtained without large-scale deforestation.
Another option is to extract CO₂ directly from the air with special installations, although this is relatively expensive and requires a lot of energy. In addition, there is mineralization, in which rocks such as basalt and olivine absorb CO₂ during their weathering. This process can be accelerated by grinding the rocks and spreading them on land or in water. CO₂ can also mineralize during cement production, converting greenhouse gases into building materials.
However, the WKR warns that CO₂ removal should not be an excuse to slow down in reducing emissions. The report emphasizes that active and immediate steps are necessary to both reduce emissions and remove CO₂ from the atmosphere to meet 2050 climate goals.
