Lecture 15: The challenges of CO2 Removal with Rocks, crops and soils

Question 1

Leverhulme Centre

Answer 1

centre that looks at ways to remove carbon from the atmosphere

• • carbon mitigation centre
• • crushed rocks to capture carbon

Question 2

two tools needed for removing and reducing climate

Answer 2

mitigation (reducing) and carbon capture

Question 3

temperature over the last 4 decades

Answer 3

risen linearly

Question 4

even if we switch of greenhouse gases tomorrow what would happen

Answer 4

were still committed to further warming

— uncertain as to how much

Question 5

sea levels and climate change

Answer 5

major threat to humans, sea rise in certain areas i.e New York in USA can result in mass migrations

Question 6

CO2 emissions gap =

Answer 6

paris pledges put forward so far aren’t going to reach 2DC plan
- gap between where were heading and where we need to be

Question 7

carbon dioxide removal strategies

Answer 7

• plant more trees
• fertilise the oceans
• apply crushed rocks to landscapes
• industrial approach (direct air captures)

Question 8

enhanced weathering

Answer 8

• application of silicate rocks to croplands to harness natural reactions
• CO2 in rain runs past rocks, releases anions (Mg2+, Ca2+ bicarbonate and carbonate to oceans)

Question 9

why is enhanced weathering good?

Answer 9

• agriculture is vast so lots of opportunity for carbon capture

Question 10

basalt

Answer 10

natural volcanic rock

- contains essential elements P,K,Ca,Mg,Fe and Si all added to soils as well

Question 11

benefits to basalt enhanced weathering

Answer 11

• crop production
• crop protection (silicate acid)
• reverse soil acidification
• replenish soil micronutrients
• reverse silica stripping
• improve soil health

Question 12

how much can enhanced weathering reduce fossil fuel emissions

Answer 12

often only by a little for the big boys, i.e. china, USA & Russia

• not a single answer
• about 2.5Gt removal (20% of paris agreements targets)

Question 13

negatives to EW

Answer 13

• need rock (up to 18Gt)
• • produced as waste in some industries
• this is likely to increase by 2050 in countries like China

Question 14

___ of worlds top soil is severely degraded

Answer 14

third

- agricultural soil which people rely on

Question 15

price of carbon

Answer 15

where governments pay people to remove it from the atmosphere
- if farmers payed for EW they would be payed

Question 16

leverhulme network of sites

Answer 16

• UK wheat
• Oil palm Borneo Malaysia
  etc
• experiments show predicted fertiliser effect, increased in yields, reduces N2O emissions,
• also seen in China small farming

Question 17

EW not just increasing CO2 uptake

Answer 17

• increase food yields
• decrease nutrient loss
• slows ocean acidification