Introduction

This week we'll conclude our course with the topic of climate restoration. Capturing carbon, through CCS and DAC, has the intended goal of reducing the worst outcomes of climate change. Climate restoration, takes that even further, with the goal of reducing carbon dioxide and methane in the atmosphere by 50% by 2050, not only reducing, but reversing the planetary energy imbalance, causing heat in the ocean and temperatures in the atmosphere to be reduced. It is a lofty goal, by the is essentially the purpose of combining CCS and DAC, or reduce and eventually reverse carbon dioxide emissions, eliminating the planetary energy imbalance, and restoring global temperatures and climate to the conditions humanity has experienced for the last 10,000 years.

Learning Outcomes/Goals

Climate restoration

1. Large scale removal of carbon dioxide
2. 50% reduction in CO₂ by 2050
3. Reversal of GHG radiative forcing
4. Methane, N₂O, CFC's, and other GHGs
5. Global scale climate geoengineering

From Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Climate_restoration)

Climate restoration is the climate change goal and associated actions to restore CO₂ to levels humans have actually survived long-term, below 300 ppm. This would restore the Earth system generally to a safe state, for the well-being of future generations of humanity and nature. Actions include carbon dioxide removal from the Carbon dioxide in Earth's atmosphere, which, in combination with emissions reductions, would reduce the level of CO₂ in the atmosphere and thereby reduce the global warming produced by the greenhouse effect of an excess of CO₂ over its pre-industrial level. Actions also include restoring pre-industrial atmospheric methane levels by accelerating natural methane oxidation.

Climate restoration enhances legacy climate goals (stabilizing earth's climate) to include ensuring the survival of humanity by restoring CO₂ to levels of the last 6000 years that allowed agriculture and civilization to develop.

Climate restoration is the goal underlying climate change mitigation, whose actions are intended to "limit the magnitude or rate of long-term climate change". Advocates of climate restoration accept that climate change has already had major negative impacts which threaten the long-term survival of humanity. The current mitigation pathway leaves the risk that conditions will go beyond adaptation and abrupt climate change will be upon us. There is a human moral imperative to maximize the chances of future generations' survival.

As stated in "The Economist" in November 2017, "in any realistic scenario, emissions cannot be cut fast enough to keep the total stock of greenhouse gases sufficiently small to limit the rise in temperature successfully. But there is barely any public discussion of how to bring about the extra “negative emissions" needed to reduce the stock of CO₂. Unless that changes, the promise of limiting the harm of climate change is almost certain to be broken."

Assignments and Due Dates

In addition to the required reading and YouTube videos, and answering the weekly questions, reflect on the aspirational goal of climate restoration. Is it possible? Is it the right goal? Does it have any chance of succeeding?

Websites and foundations

Foundation for Climate Restoration

Methane Removal and Atmospheric Restoration

Can geoengineering fix the climate? Hundreds of scientists say no!

Atmospheric methane removal: a research agenda

Link to article