Bringing greenhouse gas removal down to earth: Stakeholder supply chain appraisals reveal complex challenges. (November 2021)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Clery, Diarmaid S.; Vaughan, Naomi E.; Forster, Johanna; Lorenzoni, Irene; Gough, Clair A.; Chilvers, Jason
• Is Part Of: Global environmental change. Volume 71(2021)
• Publication Date: 2021-11
• Subjects: Greenhouse gas removal -- Negative emissions -- BECCS -- Afforestation -- Expert elicitation -- Multi-criteria mapping; Environmental policy -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Nature -- Effect of human beings on -- Periodicals; Environment -- Periodicals; Environnement -- Politique gouvernementale -- Périodiques; Écologie humaine -- Périodiques; Homme -- Influence sur la nature -- Périodiques; Environmental policy; Human ecology; Nature -- Effect of human beings on; Periodicals; Electronic journals; 333.7
• DOI: 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2021.102369
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0959-3780

Abstract

Highlights: Stakeholders appraised the feasibility of greenhouse gas removal supply chains. A supply chain framing enabled a granular appraisal of 'real-world' feasibility. Multicriteria mapping identified diverse appraisal criteria. Afforestation generally scored higher than BECCS supply chains within appraisals. Farming community and global cooperation are key factors affecting realisation. Abstract: Greenhouse gas removal (GGR) approaches are considered essential in several projections to meet the climate mitigation ambition of the Paris Agreement. Biomass Energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) and afforestation are included extensively in mitigation scenarios but there are concerns about the feasibility of these approaches. This was explored with stakeholders from industry, non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and policy who were involved in interviews and a one-day participatory workshop. Multicriteria mapping (MCM) methodology was used to appraise the 'real-world' feasibility of four specific greenhouse gas removal supply chains at a granular level in the UK context. The MCM analysis shows that afforestation performs better in comparison to three BECCS supply chains, on criteria such as business model, social acceptability, and environmental sustainability. This innovative application of the MCM methodology enables the abstract representations of GGR in integrated assessment models to be explored at a more granular level through a supply chain analysis and thus gain a deeper understanding of the issues facing these approaches. The data gathered allows a wide range of technical, environmental, social and political criteria to be systematically applied in appraising the practical performance of different future implementation options for afforestation and BECCS. If these GGR supply chains are to become a reality on the scale required for 1.5 °C global warming, factors such as global cooperation, land availability, and the longevity of policies and incentives were found to be major challenges.