SILICON VALLEY TRIES TO GO CARBON NEGATIVE

The tech world is hoping it can turn back the clock on climate change by removing carbon emissions

A rapid shift away from using fossil fuels is what’s required if we’re going to keep the average global temperature rise within the 1.5°C window needed to mitigate the worst effects of climate change. But that’s not all we can do. Instead of trying to limit our carbon emissions, there is scope to actually remove them from the atmosphere. That’s what Microsoft announced it would start doing, when the software giant kicked off 2020 by revealing its intention to be carbon negative by 2030. But that’s not all; Microsoft also said that by 2050, it plans to “remove from the environment all the carbon the company has emitted since it was founded in 1975.”

Achieving that goal will take more than simply switching to renewable energy sources, electrifying its fleet of vehicles and planting new forests. Hence, Microsoft is monitoring the development of negative emissions technologies that include bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), and direct air capture (DAC).

BECCS uses trees and crops to capture carbon as they grow. The trees and plants are then burnt to generate electricity but the carbon emissions are captured and stored deep underground. DAC uses fans to draw air through filters that remove the carbon dioxide, which can then be stored underground or potentially even turned into a type of low-carbon synthetic fuel.

Both methods sound promising but have yet to reach a point where they are practical or affordable on a scale necessary for them to have a significant impact on climate change. Microsoft’s hope, as well as those of everyone else looking to turn the tide of the climate crisis, is that these technologies, and others, will develop further over the years to come to a point that makes them viable.