Stefanie Folk
University of Munich
With climate change progressively showing its devastating effects on ecosystems and societies worldwide, it is of uttermost importance to comprehensively address potentials of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) approaches and their acceptability in society. CDR is an integral part in all overshoot scenarios of the Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSP) and without which a 1.5°C target most likely will be out of reach by 2100.
In the STEPSEC project societal, economic and political feasibility as well as relevant governance regimes and policies will be investigated through a comprehensive transdisciplinary approach. In addition to the scientific synthesis, the project will also coordinate knowledge transfer activities, including stakeholder interaction, school outreach, a museum exhibition and develop an interactive CDR atlas that will enable the visualization and examination of different CDR scenarios. The long- term goal of the project is to develop a CDR roadmap. The project will also coordinate the CDR projects, foster scientific exchange and information flows among the individual projects, facilitate transparent research and ensure good scientific governance.
Our tools comprise computer models of varying complexity from large scales (earth system) to local scales and agent-based modeling to study the potential and impact of land-use on the carbon budget, biodiversity, and socioeconomic value of landscapes. Our results will feed into a multi- dimensional decision matrix concerning CDR measures in Germany.
