Carbon Herald Op-Ed: 1.5°C Is Dead. The Fight Against Climate Change Isn’t

The possibility of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C is now likely dead — but that doesn’t mean the climate fight is over. For too long, the climate community has relied on moral hope and unrealistic sacrifice. The truth is, the world runs on demand — energy, materials, prosperity — and barring drastic drops in consumption, we need to face reality: emissions aren’t going away fast enough.

That’s why the next phase of climate action must shift from purity to pragmatism. We must scale durable carbon-removal solutions — not as optional extras, but as infrastructure as essential as clean water or waste management. Only by building robust systems for proven technologies, like direct air capture (DAC), paired with clear policy and long-term investment, can we realistically begin to clean up the CO₂ already in the atmosphere.

At Spiritus, we believe in that path forward: innovation, investment, and industrial-scale carbon removal. The days of moral posturing are over. It’s time to build — responsibly, realistically, and at scale — the infrastructure that gives the next generation a real shot at balance.

Read the full Carbon Herald Op-Ed here.