
Geoengineering, marine microalgae, and climate stabilization in the 21st century
Author(s) -
Greene Charles H.,
Huntley Mark E.,
Archibald Ian,
Gerber Léda N.,
Sills Deborah L.,
Granados Joe,
Beal Colin M.,
Walsh Michael J.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
earth's future
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.641
H-Index - 39
ISSN - 2328-4277
DOI - 10.1002/2016ef000486
Subject(s) - bio energy with carbon capture and storage , biofuel , environmental science , fossil fuel , bioenergy , biomass (ecology) , carbon capture and storage (timeline) , carbon sequestration , greenhouse gas , climate change mitigation , natural resource economics , climate change , environmental protection , waste management , ecology , carbon dioxide , engineering , biology , economics
Society has set ambitious targets for stabilizing mean global temperature. To attain these targets, it will have to reduce CO 2 emissions to near zero by mid‐century and subsequently remove CO 2 from the atmosphere during the latter half of the century. There is a recognized need to develop technologies for CO 2 removal; however, attempts to develop direct air‐capture systems have faced both energetic and financial constraints. Recently, BioEnergy with Carbon Capture and Storage ( BECCS ) has emerged as a leading candidate for removing CO 2 from the atmosphere. However, BECCS can have negative consequences on land, nutrient, and water use as well as biodiversity and food production. Here, we describe an alternative approach based on the large‐scale industrial production of marine microalgae. When cultivated with proper attention to power, carbon, and nutrient sources, microalgae can be processed to produce a variety of biopetroleum products, including carbon‐neutral biofuels for the transportation sector and long‐lived, potentially carbon‐negative construction materials for the built environment. In addition to these direct roles in mitigating and potentially reversing the effects of fossil CO 2 emissions, microalgae can also play an important indirect role. As microalgae exhibit much higher primary production rates than terrestrial plants, they require much less land area to produce an equivalent amount of bioenergy and/or food. On a global scale, the avoided emissions resulting from displacement of conventional agriculture may exceed the benefits of microalgae biofuels in achieving the climate stabilization goals.