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Climate technology

The Earth's climate is under pressure, and our society's sustainable transition is a burning issue. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates that the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere is at its highest level in over two million years. Therefore, there is a need to develop a climate-friendly society based on knowledge and data.

Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen/Ritzau Scanpix

The Danish Climate Act states that Danish greenhouse gas emissions must be reduced by 50-54% compared to 1990 levels by 2025, and we must be climate neutral by 2050.

At DTU, we collect climate data from space, on land and in aquatic environments. We monitor developments and use the data to calculate the state of the climate, predict disasters, and ensure that the solutions and technologies we work with are within the planet's tolerance limits.

We take rebound effects into account and work with sustainability by design. It requires collaboration and investment to develop the technologies that will help us reach our goals. DTU has a strong position in research in:

Space technology
Collection of climate data
Aquatic ressources and ecosystems
CO2 capture and storage
Transition to renewable energy sources
Power to X
Biosolutions

DTU's focus areas for the work with climate technology:

Collecting greenhouse gas data from terrestrial meteorological observation systems
Collecting data from aquatic ecosystems
Collection of climate data from space including:
Calculations of resource consumption of e.g. freshwater resources and predictions of future climate disasters
CO2 uptake from trees and plankton
Measuring biomass and growth rates in forests
Melting, observations from space, air and land in the Arctic and Antarctic

Analysis and calculation of economic, social and environmental impacts for climate policy development.
Integrated modeling of climate scenarios and calculation of socio-economic aspects of e.g. flooding.
Calculation of costs of establishing large-scale systems - including land use, risk economics and human impact.
DTU's Center for Absolute Sustainability develops models to calculate the absolute sustainability of products and our behavior based on the planet's resources and biophysical tolerance limits. The models show whether something is sustainable in an absolute sense and not just less environmentally damaging than the alternatives.
Mapping hidden environmental elements that can have ecotoxic effects when scaled up.

Technologies that can reduce CO2 emissions here and now through capture and storage
Energy technologies - wind, solar and batteries - that help increase the share of renewable energy
Power to X and accelerating material development for catalysts to deliver green chemicals and fuels
Biosolutions and microbial solutions in food, new materials, alternative fuels, biofilters and more

Eelgrass

CO2 capture, storage and use

With the Climate Challenge Laboratory, DTU has created a vibrant scientific powerhouse that can accommodate a significant research effort in new materials for Power-to-X technologies. There is a great need for new efficient, durable and globally scalable materials for sustainable processes that can harvest, convert and store electrical energy from renewable energy sources.

Christine Nellemann DTU Dean of Sustainability

Read more about Climate Challenge Laboratory

Space technology

14 January 2025

Earth gets a digital twin

The EU aims to create a digital twin of the entire planet to improve climate predictions. DTU will be responsible for modelling the ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica.

Climate adaptation

14 January 2025

100-year climate events require a 100-year plan

Existing climate adaptation plans must be reassessed and significantly upgraded to handle the climate events of the coming decades. This is the main message in a new proposal for a 100-year climate adaptation plan from DTU and the research network Navigating 360.

Space technology

09 January 2025

Satellite data a life saver for the municipality with ‘water on all sides’

Esbjerg Municipality is one of the areas in Denmark at greatest risk of flooding. The latest knowledge about future storm surges is helping the municipality invest wisely in climate change protection.

Space technology

07 January 2025

New instrument to track Earth's declining reflectivity

The earth reflects less sunlight than it did 20 years ago. Will we continue to lose reflectivity, and how will it affect our climate? At DTU, several researchers are participating in international missions to monitor developments.

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