Heriot-Watt University has unveiled the world’s first university-delivered online course dedicated to carbon dioxide removal (CDR), aiming to fill a critical talent gap in the race to net zero.
The program is called “Carbon Dioxide Removal from a Systems Perspective” and provides professionals with tools to evaluate carbon removal strategies across energy, industrial and policy systems. While investment in CDR is rising sharply, the global workforce has not kept pace. Lightcast data show European CDR jobs could rise 196% by 2030, with demand for relevant skills up more than 3,200% since 2019.
“We are very excited to develop this course, because we’ve been working on carbon dioxide removal for such a long time, but we realised that there really wasn’t anything out there for professionals that want to transition to the CDR space,” said Associate Professor Mijndert van der Spek, who leads the course.
The short, online program is credit-bearing and tailored for working professionals, with modules covering climate science, geochemical and technological methods, lifecycle and economic assessment, and storage options.
The course comes at a time when the role of CDR is becoming ever more clearer. As van der Spek adds: “Without CDR, we’re definitely not going to make our climate targets.”
You can find more details about the course here and you can register your interest here.
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