This report is the first global assessment of the state of carbon dioxide removal. It looks at how much carbon removal is deployed around the world, by what methods, and how much it will need to be scaled up to ensure a safer climate. It also analyses the trends in relevant research, charts the progress in policymaking around the world and analyses the public perception of carbon removal. Innovation in CDR has expanded substantially, exemplified by R&D, in patents and capacity investment. CDR has been subject of increasing public attention,…

Planning for the active removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere coupled with storage (CDR), is an integral part of any comprehensive net- zero strategy. This white paper is a guide for decisionmakers to some of the key challenges and opportunities they must consider when engaging with carbon removals. When to use removals? The use of carbon removals needs to follow the mitigation hierarchy: the first priority is always to reduce or avoid emissions where possible. Carbon removal is appropriate if used for one of three purposes: Compensating for emissions…

During 2021 the Energy Transitions Commission has sought to better understand the role of carbon dioxide removals in meeting emissions reduction and climate objectives. The ETC’s work began with a consultation paper published in May 2021, followed by a series of stakeholder workshops undertaken throughout the year, and will culminate with the publication of a report. This ETC Insights Briefing is a summary of key insights from an upcoming report. One underlying assumption is that a combination of natural climate solutions and engineered carbon dioxide removals will be required to keep the…

Climate change already touches every corner of our lives, from what we eat to how we sleep and where we work. Its impacts are being felt around the world as widespread crop failures and extreme weather events such as wildfires, heat waves, and hurricanes increase in frequency and severity. Those that are bearing the brunt of these impacts are also the most vulnerable in society: Black, Indigenous, low-income, and other communities on the frontlines of poverty and pollution. The climate crisis has highlighted the disparities across groups that continue to…

Earth’s biosphere, unaided, cannot fix the climate problem that humans created and continue to disregard. Most climate stabilization scenarios require carbon dioxide removal (CDR): the world is waking up to the fact that reducing emissions is no longer sufficient and that we must simultaneously work to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. CDR is no longer a last resort, but an urgent necessity. This primer highlights CDR’s call to new generations of curious minds to resolve the climate crisis. The authors presented us with the opportunity to read and…