Perspective: The european union is not prepared for geochemical carbon dioxide removal
- Autores: Phil Renforth
- Localización: Papeles de Energía, ISSN-e 2445-2726, ISSN 2530-0148, Nº. 28, 2025, págs. 37-72
- Idioma: inglés
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Resumen
The European Union has ambitious climate targets that may necessitate the removal of more than 500 million tonnes of carbon dioxide per year from the atmosphere by mid-century. A range of approaches have been proposed that attempt to accelerate natural rock weathering to promote “geochemical carbon dioxide removal” (gCDR), some of which are developing commercially though the voluntary carbon removal market. Progressive policy within the EU is on the verge of creating an incentive mechanism that could stimulate substantial expansion of gCDR activities, and there is world leading support for research and development to help underpin this policy agenda. Yet, there has been no systematic evaluation of the mineral resources within the EU for gCDR, or an exploration of the pathways to its efficient, equitable or cost-effective use. This manuscript makes a preliminary assessment of gCDR resources in across the EU’s member states and demonstrates a CDR potential on the order of 274 – 368 million tonnes CO2 per year based on the use of currently produced waste and by-product materials.
The annual capacity could be further extended by 10’s-100’s million tonnes CO2 if extraction of appropriate rock was marginally scaled up in the coming decades. There is asymmetry of resource across the EU, which will create an uneven experience of costs and benefits if these technologies were deployed. Clearly, the EU has considerable potential for gCDR, and a systematic programme of evaluation is needed to map the resource, quantify potential reserves given the trajectory of the value of carbon removal, and employ systems level analysis such that the strengths of member states can be maximised through cooperation.
