Pioneering Greenhouse Gas Removal

To preserve our planet's future, we must rapidly cut global emissions – but how can we also address the damage that's already been done?

As Steve Smith explains, greenhouse gas removal (GGR) is any human activity that removes greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, captures them, and durably stores them away. As a senior researcher at the University of Oxford's Smith School, Steve is currently working on a five-year project to test and develop GGR methods. 

“We’re taking ideas that, up until now, have been concepts in scientific papers and scientific models, and we’re actually trialling them in the real world.”

The five GGR techniques being explored as part of the programme are varied, but all are nature-based solutions. Steve's team is conducting groundbreaking research into biochar, enhanced rock weathering, perennial biomass crops, woodland creation and peatland restoration to understand how each can be scaled successfully. 

Over the course of the project, a fascinating insight has begun to emerge; these methods can work together in harmony. Biomass grown in the perennial biomass demonstrator can then be used to create biochar. In turn, biochar could be applied to woodlands or peatlands. Co-deploying these techniques has the potential to accelerate their growth.

Finance is another essential piece of the puzzle. For carbon removal to be viable at scale, there need to be economic incentives in place for carrying it out. Policy makers are seeking reliable information about GGR that can best inform their strategies, and projects like this can be part of the solution.

To learn more about Steve's work, visit the Smith School of Enterprise & Environment website here and the CO2RE website here.