I have been following three significant pieces of news regarding CO2 in recent days. Here is what they reveal: (Thanks to CARBON BRIEF for the summary)

📰 Critical News

• CO2 RECORD: Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) reached the highest level ever recorded last year, according to a new report from the UN’s World Meteorological Organization (WMO). This implies more extreme weather.

https://apnews.com/article/climate-change-greenhouse-gases-wmo-un-708c3d35ce6fc3d3bcaccafdba6bba45

• DECLINING SINKS: The Guardian reported that WMO scientists are “concerned” that the natural “sinks” (land and oceans) that remove CO2 from the air are “weakening as a result of global warming”.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/15/record-leap-in-co2-fuels-fears-of-accelerating-global-heating

• • New separate research concluded that Australia’s rainforests are among the first in the world to begin emitting more CO2 than they absorb, as the decomposition of dead trees emits more than what growing trunks and branches can store.

https://www.barrons.com/news/australian-rainforests-no-longer-a-carbon-sink-study-76328900

• SURGE IN EMISSIONS: Wildfires burned a land area larger than India during the 2024-2025 “global fire season,” releasing more than 8 billion tonnes of CO2, nearly 10% above average. It was determined that four of the most prominent extreme wildfire events were made more likely due to human-caused climate change.

https://www.carbonbrief.org/global-wildfires-burned-an-area-of-land-larger-than-india-in-2024/

🚀 The Challenge and the Five Pillars

The climate crisis has forced us to deeply re-evaluate the actions we take in the energy sector. The energy transition now focuses on these four key pillars, which go beyond the initial framework:

CURRENT MITIGATION PILLARS

1. Energy Efficiency and Demand Reduction:
   • Often called “the first fuel”. It involves implementing technologies and changing habits to reduce total energy consumption across all sectors.
2. Decarbonization of Generation (Renewables):
   • Increasing the installation of renewable energy sources (solar, wind, etc.) to completely replace fossil fuel-based power plants.
3. Fuel Substitution and Electrification:
   • Switching from direct combustion of hydrocarbons to zero or low-emission energy vectors (such as green hydrogen) and the total electrification of transport and heating systems.
4. Source Point Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS/CCU):
   • Implementation of Carbon Capture and Storage/Utilization (CCS and CCU) systems at industrial sites or plants where residual fossil fuel burning is technically unavoidable in the short term.

THE CRITICAL REALITY

We know that Greenhouse Gases (GHG) are the main drivers of global warming. Of these, Methane (CH4) has a very high negative effect, but its atmospheric lifespan is only about 40 years. Conversely, CO2 is the most damaging because it is the GHG we emit the most and, most critically, its permanence in the atmosphere lasts for several centuries.

Global metrics indicate that every year we emit 40 Gt of CO2 into the atmosphere. The Earth can naturally sequester only 22 Gt, leaving a net annual surplus of 18 Gt of CO2 that accumulates, directly driving global warming.

https://ourworldindata.org/co2-and-greenhouse-gas-emissions

It has been documented that, even applying CCS/CCU, electrifying all transport, and maximizing reforestation, we will still have an excess of CO2 in the atmosphere.

This harsh reality has led to the conclusion that an additional 5th step is necessary:

1. Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) from the Atmosphere:
   • Deployment of technologies designed to capture CO2 directly from the air to actively remove historic gases that have already accumulated.

We will continue to detail this new area, which is attracting major public and private investment, in our upcoming posts