Why sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere can’t undo all the effects of climate change

Climate change turns more places into deserts. Sucking CO2 out of the air can’t undo all the damage.

By Justine Calma, a science reporter covering the environment, climate, and energy with a decade of experience. She is also the host of the Hell or High Water podcast.

1. Sucking planet-heating carbon dioxide of the atmosphere doesn’t reverse all the effects of climate change, new research tells us. Carbon dioxide removal, as it’s called, can sound like science fiction — but many companies are already counting on it to undo some of the damage caused by their pollution.
2. Companies might try to prevent their greenhouse gas emissions altogether, or they might try to clean it up after the fact. That’s why we’re seeing all kinds of brands, from Microsoft to the Houston Texans, saying that they’ll plant trees or invest in new technologies that are supposed to filter CO2 out of the air. But even if they’re successful in trapping CO2, does it reverse the consequences of creating that pollution in the first place?
3. A study published today in the journal Science Advances suggests that it doesn’t completely reverse the effects of climate change. The study focuses on the consequences carbon dioxide emissions have on an atmospheric circulation pattern called the Hadley cell, which has a big impact on weather across much of the world.
4. The Hadley cell is a defining factor for many of the world’s deserts and rainforests. It moves moisture and heat between the tropics to the subtropics. Greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels are expanding the Hadley cell, intensifying droughts in subtropical regions.
5. Droughts in expanding dry zones could exacerbate food and water shortages and displace people from their homes. The Hadley cell has already intensified severe droughts in Chile and South Africa and affected agriculture in Southern Australia.
6. The study modeled what would happen if atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations continue to rise by 1 percent every year for the next 140 years. Then, after that concentration had quadrupled, they modeled what would happen if the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere dropped at the same rate over the same time period. The results showed that the impact of taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere was different in the Northern Hemisphere compared to the Southern Hemisphere.
7. More work is needed to understand what might happen in a more realistic scenario than the one laid out in this study. Waiting 140 years before reducing carbon dioxide emissions leaves the world in a perilous place, with weather disasters already becoming more frequent and extreme.
8. Efforts to take CO2 out of the atmosphere can lead to unexpected outcomes due to various variables. The differences between the Northern and Southern Hemispheres’ responses in the study were linked to ocean temperatures being more slow to respond to changes in CO2 concentrations.
9. To avoid the worst effects of climate change, any efforts to take CO2 out of the atmosphere are supplementary at best. A transition to clean energy is what can stop planet-heating pollution from building up in the first place.

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

1. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters
   • Target 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning
   • Target 13.3: Improve education, awareness-raising, and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction, and early warning
   • Target 13.4: Implement the commitment undertaken by developed countries to mobilize $100 billion annually for climate action in developing countries by 2020
   • Target 13.5: Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing states

   The article addresses the issue of climate change and its impact on the environment. It discusses the consequences of carbon dioxide emissions on the Hadley cell, an atmospheric circulation pattern that affects weather patterns globally. By highlighting the need to limit pollution and reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the article aligns with SDG 13 and its targets related to climate action and resilience.

2. SDG 15: Life on Land

   • Target 15.1: Ensure the conservation, restoration, and sustainable use of terrestrial and inland freshwater ecosystems and their services
   • Target 15.2: Promote the sustainable management of all types of forests, halt deforestation, restore degraded forests, and substantially increase afforestation and reforestation globally
   • Target 15.3: Combat desertification, restore degraded land, and soil, including land affected by desertification, drought, and floods, and strive to achieve a land degradation-neutral world
   • Target 15.4: Ensure the conservation of mountain ecosystems, including their biodiversity, to enhance their capacity to provide benefits that are essential for sustainable development
   • Target 15.5: Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity, and protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species

   The article discusses how climate change is causing the expansion of the Hadley cell, leading to intensified droughts in subtropical regions and the risk of desertification. These issues are directly related to SDG 15 and its targets on combating desertification, restoring degraded land, and conserving ecosystems and biodiversity.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: theverge.com

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