CORE TENET. CO2 Removal. The Technopolitics of Negative Emission Technologies

The project analyzes the technopolitics of Negative Emissions Technologies (NETs) in global climate action, so means to remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Though many NETs are not yet fully developed, prohibitively costly, and hard to scale up, they already figure prominently in authoritative climate scenarios. This tension between assigned role and current reality of NETs calls for an inquiry that looks at NETs as ‘socio-technical imaginaries’ (Jassenoff) that shape and are shaped by ‘calculative futures’ (Folkers). The project will analyze how the mutual reinforcement between calculative devices (scenarios) and technical devices (NETs) turn NETs into attractive climate action options. Strategies that enroll NETs to fix the future range from climate repair after carbon overshoot to remedy against fossil asset stranding. The project thus seeks to contribute to a more nuanced view on NETs able to overcome the current stalemate in the debate between full-on endorsement and blanket rejection. Andreas Folkers will work on this project at Columbia University (2025-2027) together with Tim Mitchell and at the IfS (2027-2028) with Stephan Lessenich.