Meeting the 1.5°C target is no longer just a global climate commitment – it is increasingly becoming a benchmark for corporate responsibility and competitiveness. Yet the reality is sobering: current emissions trends are steering us toward a temperature rise of over 2°C. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), we have only around 250 gigatons of CO₂ left in our carbon budget to have a 50 percent chance of staying within the 1.5°C limit. The time for symbolic climate strategies is long gone.
In theory, Net Zero sounds simple: avoid emissions, reduce what you can, and offset the rest. In practice, however, companies are hitting the limits of traditional decarbonization – especially when it comes to Scope 3 emissions from product use, disposal, or in high-emission industries. This is where climate technologies come in: they are not optional but a critical component of any future-proof climate strategy. The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) underscores this paradigm shift: in the new Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are no longer seen merely as a “last resort,” but are recognized as an integral part of strategic climate pathways – with clear, short-term targets.
For companies, this means: without climate technologies, Net Zero goals are out of reach. Even with maximum efficiency and a full switch to renewables, unavoidable residual emissions remain – especially in hard-to-abate sectors like chemicals, pharma, construction, or aviation. These gaps must be closed by CDR technologies. A common misconception is that carbon removal is the same as traditional offsetting. But only technologies that physically extract CO₂ from the atmosphere make a lasting contribution to climate protection. “Avoidance” certificates are not sufficient for achieving Net Zero. Companies that take their climate goals seriously must invest early in genuine carbon removal.
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