Two researchers at Imperial College London on March 5 published a paper that identifies three dozen strategies with the highest potential to reduce global carbon emissions. Biofuels and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) are among the strategies identified by the researchers.&nbsp;The paper, authored by Nathan Johnson and Iain Staffell, explains that the most effective strategy to decide how to mitigate anthropogenic climate change is to break the problem down into pieces. Johnson and Staffell’s work identifies a portfolio of “wedges” that provide multiple pathways to limit global warming to 1.6 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels.&nbsp;The paper defines a “wedge” as any activity that can scale linearly over 30 years to avoid 2 gigatons of CO2 equivalent per year by 2050, which equates to about 4% of global emissions. The use of these “wedges” provides a standard unit to compare mitigation strategies and link deployment to temperature outcomes, according to the paper. To achieve the 1.6 degree Celsius goal, the researchers predict approximately 20 “wedges” will be needed in addition to the 17 “wedges” that current policies are expected to deliver.&nbsp;&nbsp;Within the paper, Johnson and Staffell show the use of biofuels in the transportation sector and BECCS in the power sector can help play a role in reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions.&nbsp;Information provided by Johnson indicates deploying biofuel vehicles to meet 18% of global passenger land transport would help meet the GHG reduction goal. This would require a ten-fold increase in ethanol use, which equates to roughly doubling the U.S. blending rates across the entire global fleet of cars. BECCS could also play a role by producing 3.6% of global electricity with BECCS-enabled facilities that are fired with waste straw. The researchers indicated this would require approximately 8 gigawatts of BECCS plants be built annually through 2050.&nbsp;“Bioenergy is an incredibly flexible fuel – it can remove CO₂ from the atmosphere and power everything from cars to planes,” Johnson said. “But its climate benefit is limited by land: if bioenergy expands into natural ecosystems, it can do more harm than good.”In conjunction with the study, the researchers have launched <a href="https://www.climatewedges.com/">ClimateWedges.com</a>, an interactive tool to let people build their own decarbonization pathways. &nbsp;A full copy of the research paper is available on the Science.org <a href="https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr2118">website</a>.&nbsp;

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Two researchers at Imperial College London on March 5 published a paper that identifies 36 strategies with the highest potential to reduce global carbon emissions. Biofuels and BECCS are among the strategies identified by the researchers. 

Research paper shows biofuels, BECSS can play a role in mitigating GHG emissions

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