In pre-industrial times, the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere measured around 280 parts per million (ppm). Now it’s topping 420 ppm. That’s a staggering 50% surge past historic levels and a rise 100 times faster in the past 60 years. NOAA.

You can see how much the levels have changed in your lifetime by looking up your birth year here.

What’s more, NASA reports that carbon emissions caused by burning fossil fuels can last hundreds to thousands of years in our atmosphere. These accrued emissions led to our planet’s warmest temperature on record last year. Climate scientists anticipate that those numbers will continue to rise.

The science is sobering. But it can be motivating, too.

Key efforts are underway to respond to climate change. Most concentrate on two primary climate action pillars — adaptation (climate resilience) and mitigation (carbon reduction). But a third, equally important pillar is needed to help reverse climate change — restoration (carbon removal). Restoration aims to remove the excess carbon emissions that have been building up in our atmosphere for centuries to restore our climate to safe and healthy pre-industrial conditions.

The need to remove gigatons of carbon emissions each year will drive climate action throughout this century. That’s why the IPCC reports carbon removal is necessary to fulfill the Paris Agreement goals by 2050. And it’s why adding restoration to our climate action strategies produces the most comprehensive and enduring response to climate change.

Carbon removal is opening a new frontier for the design community.

Carbon removal (CDR) approaches are emerging out of university labs, tech companies small & large, and progressive design studios today.

Nature-based CDR solutions focus on absorbing and storing carbon in forests, soil, coastal waterways, and oceans. These efforts are led by organizations of all sizes globally and offer many opportunities for the design community to help clients fulfill their climate pledges and ESG strategies.

Technology-based CDR solutions and novel ways to utilize the captured carbon are evolving rapidly. Utilization entails converting carbon waste into materials the design community can use in the built environment. Examples include new plastics, fertilizers, building materials such as bricks, cement, and concrete, and valuable niche products — carbon nanotubes, cosmetics, beverages, and many others in development. The science is fascinating, incredibly promising, and moving fast.

By utilizing new materials such as these to decarbonize the built environment, we can help restore our climate faster. Actions can include:

— specifying readily available materials now
— co-developing new ones with suppliers to meet the growing demand
— lending our voices to advocate for accelerating the development of more high-impact materials that can store carbon away long-term

We restore the things we love most — an heirloom, a relationship, a home. Our planet.

Helping to repair our climate is a passion and priority for many within our community and beyond. Join us in adding the crucial restoration pillar to your climate action strategies to fully restore the one place we all call home.

With you, we can do a lot more.

Lew Epstein

Founder / CEO

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Learn more and find out how to participate.
Visit Lot₂₁ Solutions to discover how industry leaders are removing, storing, and utilizing carbon in novel ways to help restore our climate.
Explore Resources and Policy to find new ways to help decarbonize the world.