Carbon farming: three obstacles and how to overcome them
SDA Bocconi Insight - Zoom On
Half of everything we eat is carbon. In fact, carbon is the basic ingredient of life - and of most of what we use in human activity, from chemicals to fossil fuels to cement to fibers. In fact, these activities release carbon, which combines with oxygen to produce the most infamous and most abundant greenhouse gas of them all: carbon dioxide (CO2). Today the conversation between the public and private spheres centers on trying to find alternative pathways for reducing climate-altering gases and reaching climate neutrality, that point of equilibrium where human activities no long impact either the climate or our natural resources.
The European Union has determined that by 2050, the entire economic system must be climate neutral. Specifically, the European Climate Law sets the legally binding target of gradually diminishing and ultimately eliminating greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, after which time human activities must absorb more carbon dioxide than they emit.
This ambitious goal means rebalancing carbon cycles, which can be done with three key actions: implementing a decarbonization strategy to slash the use of non-renewable energy sources by 95%; recovering carbon from waste and biomass thanks to the circular economy and the bio-economy; significantly expanding and disseminating technologies and long-term solutions for removing carbon from the atmosphere and storing it.
