Too many companies are banking on carbon capture to reach net zero

As governments and companies jostle to show how committed they are to fighting global warming, plans to take carbon dioxide out of the air are becoming a giant loophole — just as experts have warned for years.

The UN Principles for Responsible Investment estimates that some 42 companies announced net-zero targets in 2019 and 2020. More than half of those plan to plant trees, preserve forests or capture CO₂ in order to get there, even as their own businesses continue to warm the atmosphere. 

These measures, and other technologies to capture greenhouse gases, are collectively known as carbon dioxide removal (CDR). But