At the WIRED Impact 2023 event, Dr. Gabrielle Walker, Co-founder and Chief Scientist of CUR8 delivered a thought-provoking keynote speech on the urgent need for carbon removals in the fight against climate change.

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The keynote Takeaways

We need to act now

Each second, globally, we generate as much heat as four Hiroshima bombs. This underscores the urgency of addressing the climate crisis now. The latest Bloomberg Green data shows we are sitting at 1.43º degrees of warming, worryingly close to the 1.5C Paris agreement set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

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Net Zero Targets

Net Zero targets have become a global imperative, with +92% of global businesses either having their own Net Zero Target or operating in a territory that has set one. It’s imperative to not only reduce your emissions, but also neutralise your remaining residual emissions that cannot be eliminated through decarbonisation. This is the only way to reach a true net zero.

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The Three Types of Carbon Credits

Reduction credits, Protection credits, and Removal credits. Read more about credit types in our recent blog: Carbon Offsets vs Removals (link)

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The Power of Carbon Removals

Carbon removals offer a solution to combat climate change. There are a diverse range of methods, including biochar, enhanced rock weathering, direct air capture, tree planting and ocean-based carbon capture. These innovative techniques can effectively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it, helping to reverse climate change.

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Future Financing

To accelerate the development of carbon removal technologies to meet 2050 targets set by the IPCC to achieve net zero, additional financing is needed, in the form of advanced purchase agreements. Enabling carbon removal suppliers to scale their operations and meet future market demand. Companies like British Airways, Standard Chartered Bank, Microsoft, Amazon, and JP Morgan are already making significant advance commitments, providing the necessary financing to scale up these technologies.