PhD Project
To limit climate change, the implementation of large bioenergy plantations with subsequent carbon capture and storage (BECCS) has been proposed as a method for terrestrial carbon dioxide removal (tCDR).
BECCS is essential for many future climate scenarios that limit warming to below 2°C as required by the Paris Agreement of 2015. However, large bioenergy plantations require a lot of land and water for irrigation.
This project provides a first systematic assessment of 21st century global irrigation water demands for bioenergy production. It includes a model-based analysis of the potential of optimal bioenergy plantation locations and sustainable water management for achieving the 1.5°C target. Finally the water stress resulting from additional irrigation needed to limit climate change is modelled and compared with the water stress in a 3°C warmer world.
Within the German Research Foundation (DFG) priority program (SPP) ”Climate Engineering: Risks, Challenges, Opportunities?” (SPP 1689), this work is integrated into the CE-Land+ project.
Output
Stenzel, F., Greve, P., Lucht, W., Tramberend, S., Wada, Y., Gerten, D.: Irrigation of biomass plantations may globally increase water stress more than climate change. Nat Commun 12, 1512. (2021) https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21640-3
Stenzel, F., Gerten, D., and Hanasaki, N.: Global scenarios of irrigation water use for bioenergy production: a systematic review, Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 25, 1711-1726. (2021)
https://doi.org/10.5194/hess-25-1711-2021
Stenzel, F., Gerten, D., Werner, C., Jägermeyr, J.: Freshwater requirements of large-scale bioenergy plantations for limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. Environ. Res. Lett. 14, 084001. (2019) https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/ab2b4b
ClimateLandWater
