GFZ Earth Update

Through direct interaction with the audience and impressive 360° full-dome projections under the dome, they bring scientific findings to life in a vivid and immediate way. This opens up new perspectives on our planet and the processes that are changing it. November 2, 2026: Premiere: “A New Approach to Removing CO₂ from the Atmosphere” To achieve EU climate neutrality by 2050, unavoidable CO₂ emissions must be removed using safe technologies, in addition to massive reductions in anthropogenic emissions.

In Germany, this will require the removal of approximately 100 megatons of CO₂ per year starting in 2050. The RESET project at the Helmholtz Center for Geosciences (GFZ) is investigating whether a natural geochemical process—which has been permanently sequestering atmospheric CO₂ in the ocean as limestone for millions of years—can contribute to this effort.

• Could this method be applied in the long term to agricultural land, such as a vineyard?
• How significant is its CO₂ storage effect under natural conditions?
• And how long do these processes take?

Three researchers and a winemaker will present these questions, along with some answers and insights, in elaborate 360° full-dome projections in the planetarium auditorium.

Speakers:

Prof. Dr. Dirk Sachse, Head of the Organic Earth Surface Geochemistry Research Group in the Geomorphology Section at the GFZ in Potsdam and Professor of Organic Geochemistry of the Earth’s Surface System at Humboldt University in Berlin

Dr. Patrick Frings, Head of the Metal Isotope Geochemistry Research Group in the Organic and Earth Surface Geochemistry Section at the GFZ in Potsdam

PD Dr. Pia-Johanna Emma Schweizer, Head of the Systemic Risks Research Group at the Research Institute for Sustainability at the GFZ in Potsdam

Stefan Sander, viticultural technician. Manager of the Sander Winery in Mettenheim. Germany’s oldest organic winery