Climate change reversal technology is no magic bullet

Outlook

A UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report has warned the consequences of exceeding the Paris Agreement’s 1.5-degree Celsius global-temperature-rise limit will be far worse than previously imagined.

Ending carbon emissions, and forest restoration on an unprecedented scale, would go a long way towards preventing irreversible environmental damage but such solutions will hit staunch political resistance.

Negative emissions technologies will be more attractive for governments and are likely to play a major role, but they are under researched, underdeveloped and will require dramatic advances before they can feasibly have any real impact. With governments likely to pursue technological fixes, research and development funding will increase, bringing hope for solutions, but also complacency.

Impacts

• The avoidance of catastrophic climate damage remains possible but, requiring such a massive, concerted international effort, looks unlikely.
• Climate change-related issues such as water scarcity and food insecurity will become major drivers of conflict this century.
• States’ need for quick fixes may make drastic, possibly damaging tech, such as solar radiation management geoengineering, more attractive.