The challenge of stabilizing the global climate requires rapidly reducing atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration. This process involves two parts: drastically cutting new emissions from human activity and actively removing legacy CO2 accumulated over decades. Success depends on a multi-pronged approach integrating large-scale technological shifts, the restoration of natural systems, and changes in behavior. Coordinated action across the energy sector, industrial processes, land management, and consumption patterns is required to achieve this decline.
Transitioning to Low-Carbon Energy Sources
Phasing out fossil fuels for energy generation is the most important step to prevent new CO2 emissions. Renewable sources like solar and wind power lead this transition due to rapidly falling costs and increasing deployment. Solar photovoltaic (PV) generation is expanding quickly, with project costs dropping significantly over the past decade. Planned solar capacity continues to increase, making it one of the fastest-growing power sources.
Wind power generation, both onshore and offshore, is also expanding. Modern turbines demonstrate improved efficiency and higher capacity factors compared to older models. However, solar and wind are intermittent; their output fluctuates with weather conditions, necessitating significant changes to the electrical grid.
Integrating these variable resources requires a modernized, or “smart,” grid allowing two-way communication between utilities and consumers. This infrastructure upgrade includes installing advanced sensors and automated controls to manage bidirectional electricity flow and quickly isolate faults. Grid modernization enhances reliability, integrates distributed energy resources, and allows for demand-side management to reduce peak strain.
Energy storage is necessary to manage the variability of renewables and ensure a stable power supply. Lithium-ion battery energy storage systems (BESS) are widely deployed for short-duration needs, typically four hours or less. Long-duration energy storage (LDES) is necessary to bridge gaps lasting days or weeks. LDES technologies include pumped hydro storage, compressed air energy storage, and hydrogen energy storage, designed to store energy for eight hours or more.
Alongside variable sources, firm, low-carbon power generation is necessary for continuous, or baseload, supply. Nuclear power provides steady, 24/7 generation and is the second-largest source of low-carbon electricity globally, after hydro. New designs, such as small modular reactors (SMRs), offer flexibility and scalability. Geothermal energy also operates with a high capacity factor, often exceeding 90%, because it draws heat continuously from the Earth’s subsurface, making it a reliable, dispatchable resource.
Boosting Natural Carbon Sequestration
Nature-based solutions remove existing CO2 from the atmosphere and store it in biological reservoirs. Terrestrial ecosystems, such as forests, are carbon sinks, absorbing CO2 through photosynthesis and storing it in biomass and soil. Efforts like reforestation (replanting forests) and afforestation (establishing new forests) directly increase this natural storage capacity.
Soil is another immense carbon reservoir, holding several times the amount of carbon currently in the atmosphere. Regenerative agriculture practices are designed to enhance soil carbon sequestration, or “carbon farming,” by increasing organic matter content. Practices like no-till or low-till farming minimize soil disturbance, which prevents the release of stored carbon.
Farmers can further increase carbon capture by planting cover crops, which keep living roots in the ground year-round, or by implementing diverse crop rotations. Rotational grazing of livestock also helps to build soil health and increase carbon storage by improving the management of grasslands. These methods not only mitigate climate change but also improve soil fertility, water retention, and resilience to extreme weather.
Coastal and marine ecosystems offer another significant natural carbon storage mechanism known as “blue carbon.” These ecosystems, including mangrove forests, salt marshes, and seagrass meadows, sequester carbon at rates up to ten times greater than some terrestrial forests. They lock this carbon away in their waterlogged soils and sediments for centuries.
Protecting and restoring blue carbon ecosystems is necessary because their degradation releases large amounts of stored CO2 back into the atmosphere. Beyond carbon storage, these habitats provide coastal protection from storms and flooding, filter water, and support marine biodiversity.
Deploying Carbon Capture and Removal Technologies
Technological solutions are also necessary to manage emissions that cannot be eliminated and to draw down legacy CO2 from the air. These engineered methods are generally split into two categories: preventing new emissions and reversing historical ones. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has stated that carbon dioxide removal is unavoidable if the world is to meet its climate goals.
Point-Source Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) prevents CO2 from being released by industrial facilities or power plants. This process captures concentrated CO2 directly from the source’s exhaust flue gas before it enters the atmosphere. The captured CO2 is then compressed, transported via pipelines, and permanently injected deep underground into suitable geological formations, such as saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas reservoirs.
Direct Air Capture (DAC) pulls CO2 directly from the ambient air, where the concentration is much lower. This makes DAC more energy-intensive and currently more expensive than point-source capture. However, DAC offers the benefit of removing accumulated atmospheric CO2 regardless of where it was emitted. DAC can be deployed virtually anywhere, but it requires a large amount of low-carbon energy to operate efficiently.
Both CCS and DAC technologies result in a stream of captured CO2, which can either be stored or utilized. Geological storage is the most common permanent solution. The captured gas can also be used to create products like synthetic fuels, building materials, or carbonated beverages. DAC paired with permanent storage is considered a carbon-negative solution because it actively reduces the total CO2 burden in the atmosphere.
Personal and Community Reduction Strategies
Individual and local community actions complement large-scale technological and natural solutions by directly reducing the demand for carbon-intensive goods and services. Transportation is a major source of emissions, and shifting personal mobility habits can have a significant effect. Choosing to walk, cycle, or use public transit instead of a private car for daily trips reduces carbon output.
For longer distances, adopting electric vehicles (EVs) helps to decarbonize personal travel, particularly as the electricity grid becomes cleaner. An individual can also lower their household footprint by focusing on energy efficiency within the home. This includes using better insulation, switching to energy-efficient appliances and LED lighting, and replacing fossil fuel-based heating systems with electric heat pumps.
Changes in consumption patterns, particularly related to food, offer another route for reduction. Shifting toward a diet with a larger proportion of plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, and legumes, significantly lowers the emissions associated with food production. Producing meat and dairy generally results in higher greenhouse gas emissions compared to plant-based alternatives.
Reducing waste is also an important strategy, as discarded organic material in landfills produces methane, a potent greenhouse gas. Composting food and yard waste cuts these emissions and provides a sustainable soil amendment. Engaging with local community initiatives and supporting businesses with strong sustainability values can amplify the impact of individual choices.