Microsoft Partners with Aker Carbon Capture, CO280 to Scale Carbon Removal Market – ESG Today
Microsoft Partners with Aker Carbon Capture, CO280 to Scale Carbon Removal Market ESG Today
sdgtalks
Microsoft, Aker Carbon Capture, and CO280 Collaborate to Scale Up Carbon Removal Market
Microsoft, in partnership with carbon capture technology company Aker Carbon Capture and carbon removal project developer CO280, has announced a new collaboration aimed at scaling up the carbon removal market. The collaboration will cover the entire value chain, from physical project development to digital measurement, tracking, verification, and reporting.
Importance of Carbon Removal for Achieving Sustainable Development Goals
The collaboration between Microsoft, Aker Carbon Capture, and CO280 aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 13: Climate Action. According to the landmark 2022 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report, carbon dioxide removal methods need to scale up to billions of tons of removal annually in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C. This collaboration aims to accelerate the deployment of carbon removal projects and contribute to achieving the SDGs.
Challenges in Carbon Capture and Verification
The IPCC report highlights that while there are existing solutions for capturing and storing CO2, most of them are still in early stages and limited in scale. Additionally, carbon offsetting through projects like carbon removal faces challenges in quality and verification. Participants often struggle to differentiate between high and low-quality projects due to insufficient or inconsistent data. This collaboration aims to address these challenges and ensure the effectiveness of carbon removal projects.
Partnership Details
Aker Carbon Capture offers proprietary carbon capture technology that can be applied to existing or new industrial plants. Their solution uses water and organic amine solvents to absorb CO2, making it applicable to various sectors. CO280 develops biomass carbon removal and storage projects in the pulp and paper industry. The partnership will explore carbon capture projects in the U.S. and Canada, develop a screening process for carbon capture on pulp and paper mills, standardize lifecycle assessment and measurement systems, and create a digital tool for project comparison.
Advocacy and Thought Leadership
In addition to project development, the collaboration aims to advocate for policies that support the pulp and paper carbon capture market. The companies will also demonstrate thought leadership in promoting high-integrity carbon removals. By doing so, they aim to unlock the significant removal opportunity in the pulp and paper industry and scale up the carbon removal market.
Microsoft’s Commitment to Carbon Removal
This collaboration is part of Microsoft’s broader commitment to the carbon removal market. Over the past few months, Microsoft has announced several carbon removal deals, spanning various technologies. The company aims to become carbon negative by 2030 and is committed to creating a robust market for carbon removal credits. Microsoft plans to build a digital value chain that tracks carbon attributes and generates credits efficiently.
By collaborating with Aker Carbon Capture and CO280, Microsoft aims to leverage technology to create a digital value chain for carbon tracking and reporting. This will enable the industrial sector to decarbonize and contribute to achieving the SDGs.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?
- SDG 13: Climate Action
- SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
The article discusses the collaboration between Microsoft, Aker Carbon Capture, and CO280 to scale up the carbon removal market. This directly relates to SDG 13, which focuses on climate action and aims to combat climate change and its impacts. Additionally, the collaboration involves the development of carbon capture projects in the pulp and paper industry, which aligns with SDG 9, which aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation.
2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?
- SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
- SDG 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning.
- SDG 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes.
Based on the article’s content, the collaboration aims to integrate carbon capture projects into the pulp and paper industry, which aligns with SDG 13.2. The partnership also involves the development of a standard and efficient screening process for evaluating the feasibility of carbon capture projects, which contributes to SDG 13.3 by improving awareness and capacity on climate change mitigation. Additionally, the collaboration focuses on developing low-cost and sustainable carbon removal projects, which aligns with SDG 9.4.
3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?
- Development of a standard and efficient screening process for evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of carbon capture on pulp and paper mills.
- Standardization of lifecycle assessment and measurement, verification, and reporting (MRV) systems for capture projects in pulp and paper.
- Creation of a digital tool to compare planned carbon capture projects against Microsoft Criteria for High Quality Carbon Removal.
The article mentions the development of a screening process, standardization of MRV systems, and the creation of a digital tool. These indicators can be used to measure progress towards the targets by assessing the implementation and effectiveness of these processes and tools in integrating carbon capture projects into the pulp and paper industry.
SDGs, Targets, and Indicators
| SDGs | Targets | Indicators |
|---|---|---|
| SDG 13: Climate Action | 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning. | – Development of a standard and efficient screening process for evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of carbon capture on pulp and paper mills. – Standardization of lifecycle assessment and measurement, verification, and reporting (MRV) systems for capture projects in pulp and paper. – Creation of a digital tool to compare planned carbon capture projects against Microsoft Criteria for High Quality Carbon Removal. |
| SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure | 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable, with increased resource-use efficiency and greater adoption of clean and environmentally sound technologies and industrial processes. | – Development of a standard and efficient screening process for evaluating the technical and economic feasibility of carbon capture on pulp and paper mills. – Standardization of lifecycle assessment and measurement, verification, and reporting (MRV) systems for capture projects in pulp and paper. – Creation of a digital tool to compare planned carbon capture projects against Microsoft Criteria for High Quality Carbon Removal. |
Behold! This splendid article springs forth from the wellspring of knowledge, shaped by a wondrous proprietary AI technology that delved into a vast ocean of data, illuminating the path towards the Sustainable Development Goals. Remember that all rights are reserved by SDG Investors LLC, empowering us to champion progress together.
Source: esgtoday.com
Join us, as fellow seekers of change, on a transformative journey at https://sdgtalks.ai/welcome, where you can become a member and actively contribute to shaping a brighter future.
