Carbon removal tech must scale 1,000-fold to reach climate goals, finds report
6 okt. 2025
13:13
Many of Europe’s net-zero plans depend on large-scale carbon removal, but most of the required technology remains in its infancy. And a recent study highlights the scale of the challenge facing policymakers and innovators alike.
By 2050, the UK alone is planning to deliver 60-70 times more engineered carbon removals annually than the entire world currently achieves combined.
That poses a massive challenge – but also a huge growth opportunity for carbon removal startups.
By 2050, the UK alone is planning to deliver 60-70 times more engineered carbon removals annually than the entire world currently achieves combined.
That poses a massive challenge – but also a huge growth opportunity for carbon removal startups.
When Europe’s leaders talk about “net zero,” most of the focus falls on emissions cuts – cleaner energy, electrified transport, greener buildings. But many national climate plans also hinge on an assumption that we’ll one day be able to suck vast amounts of carbon out of the atmosphere.
According to a new peer-reviewed study in Climate Policy, that assumption is enormous. Globally, governments are banking on a thousand-fold expansion in carbon removal capacity – from today’s 1.3 million tonnes of engineered removals per year globally to billions of tonnes by mid-century.