A new study has shown that around seven to nine billion tonnes of CO2 (Carbon dioxide) need to be removed from the atmosphere yearly for the world to meet the 1.5 oC Paris Agreement target.
The Paris Agreement- a treaty on climate change which was adopted by 196 countries during the Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France, on 12 December 2015- entered into force on 4 November 2016.
The new study, titled “the 2024 state of Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) report”, is a combined effort of over 50 experts led by researchers at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom. It was published on the University’s website on Wednesday as part of activities marking the 2024 World Environment Day.
The study is an annual scientific assessment of how much carbon dioxide removal will be needed to limit climate change and whether the world is on track to meet the target, a critical component of the Paris Agreement, of which Nigeria is a signatory.
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Among other things, the report emphasised the critical role of CDR in reducing emissions, a primary way to achieve net zero, adding that two billion tonnes per year, a far cry from what is required, is currently being removed by CDR via conventional means, including tree planting.
The report also urged governments to implement policies that will increase demand for carbon removals by embedding CDR policies into its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to the climate action plans under the United Nations FrameWork Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
“To meet the Paris Agreement, any kind of climate mitigation must be done sustainably,” the report said, noting that it was also vital that environmental and social sustainability are embedded into planning and policy to minimise risks and maximise benefits.
Story was adapted from Premium Times.
