Carbon dioxide removal vs emissions avoidance: What's the difference?

Carbon Dioxide Removal (“CDR”) and emissions avoidance are both important strategies for combating climate change. However, there is a key difference between the two: CDR removes carbon dioxide that has already been emitted into the atmosphere, while emissions avoidance prevents carbon dioxide from being emitted in the first place.

Here is a more detailed breakdown of the two concepts:

Carbon Dioxide Removal

CDR is a broad term that encompasses a variety of technologies and methods for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Some common CDR techniques include:

• Pyrolysis: Nature does a great job of removing CO2, unfortunately the vast majority of this quickly ends up back in the atmosphere either through burning or decomposition.  Pyrolysis turns such carbon into a highly stable form that is sequestered for thousands of years.
• Direct air capture (DAC): This technology uses fans to pull air into a machine that captures the carbon dioxide. The captured carbon dioxide can then be stored underground or used to make products.
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS): This technology captures carbon dioxide from industrial emissions and stores it underground.
• Afforestation and reforestation: Planting trees absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as long as the trees are not subsequently felled or burnt.

When assessing the merit of a CDR project it is critical to assess both Additionality and Permanence. 

Additionality in CDR refers to the fact that the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere would not have been removed otherwise. This is important because it ensures that CDR is actually reducing the total amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Permanence in CDR refers to the fact that the carbon dioxide removed from the atmosphere is stored in a way that prevents it from being released back into the atmosphere. This is important because it ensures that CDR is actually achieving its goal of reducing the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the long term.

Emissions avoidance

Emissions avoidance refers to any action that prevents carbon dioxide from being emitted into the atmosphere in the first place. Some common emissions avoidance strategies include:

• Switching to renewable energy sources: Renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind power, do not produce carbon dioxide emissions.
• Improving energy efficiency: Using energy more efficiently reduces the need to burn fossil fuels, which in turn reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
• Reducing deforestation: Deforestation releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Reducing deforestation helps to keep carbon dioxide stored in trees.

Both CDR and emissions avoidance are important for combating climate change.  In order to achieve net zero emissions, we will need to use a combination of both strategies.
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Farmed Carbon plays in both spaces.  It’s pyrolysis process permanently removes CO2, while its end products are used to able avoid further emissions e.g. enabling a reduction in the amount of cement required to make concrete or reducing the need for ammonium based fertilisers on farms. ​

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