Environmental Policy

Changing the surface albedo is a proposed solar geoengineering method that aims to reflect more sunlight back into space by increasing the Earth’s albedo—the reflectivity of the Earth’s surface.

Stratospheric aerosol injection is a proposed solar geoengineering method in which large quantities of tiny reflective particles are released into the stratosphere to cool the Earth by reflecting sunlight back into space.

Enhanced photosynthesis techniques are theoretical geoengineering technologies based on the idea that plants and algae can be genetically modified to absorb and metabolize and therefore store more carbon dioxide.

Microbubbles proposals suggest that by injecting millions of tiny air bubbles into the ocean or spraying sea foam onto surface waters, the albedo of large areas of ocean could be increased, thereby reflecting more sunlight back into space.

Ocean fertilization is a proposed method for CO2 removal in which large quantities of micro- or macronutrients are introduced into marine areas with low biological productivity to stimulate the growth of phytoplankton.

Artificial upwelling aims to artificially pump cooler, nutrient-rich water from the depths of the oceans to the surface in order to stimulate phytoplankton activity and reduce CO2.

Direct Air Capture (DAC) schemes aim to extract carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere by chemical and mechanical means, generally using a chemical sorbent and large fans to move air through a filter.

Carbon Capture Use and Storage (CCUS) aims to put carbon dioxide captured from industries such as cement production to an alternative use, such as a feedstock for manufacturing products, where the carbon is then stored.     

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a technology proposed for the removal of carbon dioxide, which aims to capture CO2 emitted from processes such as the combustion of fossil fuels and store it underground.

Biochar is produced through pyrolysis, a process where biomass combustion occurs in a low oxygen environment at very high temperatures. It results in a solid carbon-rich charcoal-like substance, which can be mixed into soil where it is theoretically stored.

Enhanced weathering techniques involve spreading large amounts of crushed rocks (particularly silicate minerals) onto farmland or beaches, or dumping them into the sea, in order to react with and fix atmospheric carbon dioxide into the oceans and soils.

Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) involves capturing carbon dioxide from bioenergy applications and then storing it deep in geological formations or using it to manufacture products. 

By thinning cirrus clouds (wispy, elongated high-altitude clouds), some researchers have proposed that more heat could be allowed to escape into space, thereby cooling the climate.

By 2025, more than 12 billion tonnes of plastic had been produced globally – and plastic pollution is not gender neutral. Our publication Combatting Global Plastic Pollution presents feminist perspectives for a gender-just approach to the plastic crisis. 

Marine Cloud Brightening (or Cloud Reflectivity Enhancement) aims to increase the whiteness of clouds in order to reflect more sunlight back into space.     

Is it utopian to insist on a good life for all in the face of the climate crisis? No more unrealistic than the utopia of endless growth on a finite planet on the backs of the weakest. On the road to a climate-just world” describes ways to create a sustainable world worth living in for everyone - and exposes false hopes and dangerous false solutions.

These guidelines address the great concerns with the overall aims of the EU Critical Raw Materials Regulation (CRMR) of driving greater extraction of primary raw materials and increasing harm to nature and people.

Four areas of application show: Our current consumption of raw materials is globally and socially unjust and ecologically unsustainable. We need a raw material transition towards truly circular and sustainable producttion and consumption patterns.

Together with the Supply Chain Law Initiative, SOMO, Swedwatch and Germanwatch, we show in this short position paper why due diligence in downstream value chains is necessary and how it can be implemented. We also make key recommendations fort he EU supply chain law.