The

science

How Patch is making meaningful climate action everyone’s business

Our planet is out of balance

Since 1880, our atmosphere has warmed by 1.1º C due to human activity.¹ The consequences are already hazardous: record heat waves, intensified storms, droughts, and mass extinctions of plants and animals.

We must limit warming to 1.5ºC to mitigate the worst impacts of climate change — the first step toward rebalancing the planet.

Perkins, L. “NASA SVS: Global Temperature Anomalies from

Perkins, L. “NASA SVS: Global Temperature

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1880 to 2022.” Scientific Visualization Studio. NASA, January 12, 2023. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5060.

Anomalies from 1880 to 2022.” Scientific Visualization Studio. NASA, January 12, 2023. https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/5060.

IPCC, 2018: Global Warming of 1.5°C. An IPCC Special Report

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[Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-2/

Rogelj, J., Popp, A., Calvin, K.V. et al. Scenarios towards limiting

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global mean temperature increase below 1.5 °C. Nature Clim Change 8, 325–332 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0091-3

SSP1.1-9 is the IPCC’s most optimistic SSP (Shared

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Socioeconomic Pathway), in which global CO2 emissions are cut to net zero by 2050.

Even the most optimistic scenario requires direct carbon removal³

CO2 emissions (gigatonnes) outlined in SSP1.1-9⁴

Reducing emissions isn’t enough

According to the IPCC, there’s no pathway to holding global warming to 1.5°C by reducing emissions alone.²

All paths to a rebalanced planet require global-scale carbon removal technologies.

Even restoring Earth’s natural decarbonization systems won’t get us all the way there.

IPCC, 2018: Global Warming of 1.5°C.

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An IPCC Special Report [Masson-Delmotte, V., P. Zhai, H.-O. Pörtner, D. Roberts, J. Skea, P.R. Shukla, A. Pirani, W. Moufouma-Okia, C. Péan, R. Pidcock, S. Connors, J.B.R. Matthews, Y. Chen, X. Zhou, M.I. Gomis, E. Lonnoy, T. Maycock, M. Tignor, and T. Waterfield (eds.)]. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK and New York, NY, USA. https://www.ipcc.ch/sr15/chapter/chapter-2/

Rogelj, J., Popp, A., Calvin, K.V. et al. Scenarios towards limiting

...

Rogelj, J., Popp, A., Calvin, K.V. et al. Scenarios towards limiting global mean temperature increase below 1.5 °C. Nature Clim Change 8, 325–332 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41558-018-0091-3

SSP1.1-9 is the IPCC’s most optimistic

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SSP (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway), in which global CO2 emissions are cut to net zero by 2050.

All three approaches are necessary

Reducing emissions is critical

Every country, organization, and person must reduce their carbon emissions as much and as rapidly as possible. This is the most important step. No plan will be successful without dramatic emissions reductions.

Restoring natural systems is vital

Our planet has built-in systems to regulate the amount of carbon in the atmosphere. By restoring the balance of our oceans, forests, and landmass, we can rely on these natural systems to help bring the planet back to balance.

Engineered carbon removal is essential

We’ll need engineered carbon removal projects like Direct Air Capture (DAC) alongside long-lived, durable sequestration solutions. We already have technology to do this, but we’ll need to scale it up quickly.

We provide seamless access to carbon credits

Carbon credits are powerful market-based tools to drive billions of dollars toward incentivizing the development and scaling of innovative climate projects, and flexible enough to evolve with the technology landscape.⁴

How carbon credits work

Avoiding additional CO₂ emissions

Avoidance carbon credits incentivize keeping CO₂ from entering the atmosphere.

Decreased renewable energy costs have made clean power economical in many parts of the world. But avoidance projects (such as landfill gas capture) still require the funding carbon credits provide to be feasible. Likewise, nature-based avoidance credits (such as deforestation prevention) can provide a financial mechanism to preserve critical ecosystems that maintain the balance of our planet.

Removing CO₂ from the atmosphere

Removal carbon credits incentivize taking CO₂ out of the atmosphere.

Our species has spent centuries engineering tech and exploiting natural resources, knocking the planet out of balance. Now, we’ll need new engineered and nature-based carbon removal solutions to restore that balance. With the monetization provided by selling carbon credits, projects (such as direct air capture) can become viable at commercial scale to remove and durably sequester millions of tonnes of CO₂.

We provide seamless access to carbon credits

How carbon credits work

Avoiding additional CO₂ emissions

Removing CO₂ from the atmosphere

Patch completes the climate equation

All solutions are needed to stop and reverse climate change. Dramatic emissions reductions, measurement and accounting of emissions, and carbon removal projects are all necessary to maximize our collective opportunity to make a livable future inevitable.

Patch has joined forces with an ecosystem of over thirty partners and counting. For help measuring and accounting your emissions or for advice on decarbonization, take a look at our Partner Directory.