Technology to remove carbon dioxide from emissions before they enter the atmosphere is still nascent, but many scientists, governments and investors are already banking on the approach to reduce the climate impact of difficult-to-decarbonize industries. Carbon capture technology operates a bit like a giant vacuum, sucking planet-warming CO₂ from emissions generated by the burning of carbon-intensive fuels. But wide-scale adoption has so far been stymied by the size and expense of most capture systems, which can cost up to $500 million and typically require bespoke equipment and installation. New standardized, modular designs that are aimed at small emitters could open the door for more widespread use. Japan’s Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. plans to start introducing a line-up of small to medium-sized carbon capture systems next year, which it says can sequester up to 95% of CO₂ emitted from small polluters like municipal waste incinerators, cement plants or ships. 

Global warming is likely to cause a decline in the number of species of microbes that live in tropical soils which could threaten the biodiversity of rainforests and increase carbon emissions, according to new research. Microorganisms, which include bacteria and fungi, play a key role in the health of tropical forest ecosystems. They breakdown dead organic matter, and use, transform or release as CO2. About a third of the carbon stored in soils is held in tropical soils—and they support around two-thirds of the world’s plant biomass. Climate models suggest the tropics could warm by two to five degrees centigrade by the end of the century. To date, there has been little scientific research into the impact this level of warming could have on the tropical soil microbes that play a key role in plant health and in mediating carbon emissions.

In a new study published in Nature, an international group of scientists emphasized the risk of depending on carbon removal technologies to curb climate change. To curb global warming to below 2 °C above pre-industrial levels, researchers and others are placing their hopes on the world’s copious supply of biomass – materials such as wood remains, agricultural remnants, and energy crops – to set up mass bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), the use of which is also presumed to grow significantly in the future. However, …the harmful effects of climate change on crop yields may decrease the capacity of BECCS and endanger food security, thus forming an undetected positive feedback loop on global warming. Scientists from IIASA, Fudan University in Shanghai, China, and other organizations worldwide attempted to measure the strength of this feedback by closely considering the relationship between climate change, bioenergy, agriculture, and carbon removal technologies.