Carbon 180: What to do with wood pellets? Burning issues in BECCS and forestry

"Trees are a key piece of the carbon removal puzzle—both as they grow and after they’re harvested. Recently, the use of wood pellets (portable, compacted sawdust) in the UK and EU’s renewable energy production portfolio has been steadily growing. Given the US’s status as the top wood pellet exporter, there are concerns over subsequent impacts to forest ecosystems — and their ability to remove carbon from the atmosphere. As we shape the role of wood pellets as feedstock for climate technologies, it’s imperative that we take a holistic approach when exploring the entangled issues of forests and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS)." LINK

Center for American Progress: To Harness the Power of the Ocean To Fight Climate Change, the Biden Administration Needs a Plan

"The recent Sixth Assessment Report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change showed only narrow pathways to preventing the Earth from warming more than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels. [...] Indeed, even if governments worldwide collectively move to stop using fossil fuels and fully transition to clean sources of energy by midcentury, given the amount of existing GHGs already in the atmosphere, additional measures are needed to achieve negative emissions and keep the Earth within 1.5 degrees Celsius of warming. Negative emissions scenarios can only be accomplished using a combination of mitigation pathways that include 100 percent clean energy as well as methods to draw down and sequester excess carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere—a process, known as carbon dioxide removal (CDR), that can be either nature- or technology-based." LINK

Job: Research Associate Zoology (University of Oxford)

Deadline: 22. October 2021 "The CO2RE programme is recruiting a postdoctoral researcher (PDRA) to investigate the socioeconomic and ecological (including biodiversity) outcomes of different pathways to achieving net zero in the UK. The research will blend empirical work with simulation modelling to understand the timeframes and spatial scales over which the different, biological approaches to GGR can enhance carbon stores and reduce GHG emissions, whilst also supporting biodiversity, human adaptation to climate change and food security." LINK

Project: Carbfix Atlas

"As a sign of ever-increasing interest in CO2 mineral storage, Carbfix has compiled a mapping tool that shows the feasibility of applying the Carbfix technology for industries and nations to assess as a part of their climate strategy. The global storage potential is greater than the emissions of the burning of all fossil fuels on Earth.It is estimated that Europe could theoretically store at least 4,000 billion tons of CO2 in rocks while the United States could store at least 7,500 billion tons." LINK

Team

KIEL EARTH INSTITUTE // Düsternbrooker Weg 2 // 24105 Kiel, Germany

Das Kiel Earth Institute ist aus der Zusammenarbeit des Institut für Weltwirtschaft und dem GEOMAR im Exzellenzcluster ‚Ozean der Zukunft‘ entstanden. Es trägt dem Wunsch Rechnung, Forschung und gesellschaftliche Entscheidungen zusammenzubringen.