GGR technologies will play a critical role in the UK’s drive to reach net zero by 2050. However, some broader impacts of their implementation remain uncertain. The EA sought to deepen its understanding of these technologies to inform its future role and identify gaps in evidence for the impacts of each technology.
Our research focused on five key technologies: ocean alkalinity enhancement, enhanced rock weathering, biochar, bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, and direct air capture with carbon storage.
We began with a comprehensive review of existing research and data sources, to synthesise the current understanding of the potential environmental impacts and social implications of each technology. Our structured methodology enabled us to critically evaluate the reliability of the data, including both academic and grey literature. A steering group of academics and EA experts contributed to the development of the research.
For each technology, we produced an in-depth technical report and a non-technical executive summary report, to ensure that the research outputs were accessible and impactful for a variety of audiences. The reports provided an overview of how each technology achieves greenhouse gas removal and summarised the non-carbon impacts across the life cycle of each technology, including feedstock sourcing, transportation and storage, processing, and deployment.
Each report also highlighted areas requiring further evidence, such as the impact on soil biome from repeated biochar or enhanced rock weathering applications. In addition, we developed an overall executive summary across all technologies and presented a summary seminar to stakeholders at the EA and the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs.
Through this collaboration, the EA is now better equipped to navigate the complex landscape of GGR technologies and identify areas that need further research before they can be more widely implemented. Our work provided a solid foundation of evidence to support future decisions on GGR technologies that address their social and environmental impacts as well as carbon reduction ambitions.
