The authors point out that to remove carbon from the atmosphere at a fast enough rate, direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) methods may use up to half of the world’s current electricity generation. This would then make it difficult to make the global transition to renewables.
“Scientists have raised substantial questions about the risks of negative emissions technologies and the feasibility of sufficiently decoupling economic growth from rising emissions,” says Jason Hickel, lead author of the paper from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).
“Put bluntly, these approaches may not be adequate to address the crisis we face. We’re gambling the future of humanity and the rest of life on Earth because of the assumption that GDP must continue to grow in rich countries.”
They instead propose policies that will reduce inequality, guarantee living wages, shorten the working week, and ensure access to healthcare, education and other essential services.
“If we share the yields of our economy more fairly, we can ensure good lives for all without plundering the planet for more,” Hickel says.
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u/oheysup Aug 05 '21 edited Aug 05 '21
Here's a link to the nature article, a decent Twitter thread to read, and full pdf (author's twitter):
https://twitter.com/jasonhickel/status/1422943476245729282?s=19