How to seed more collaboration in the carbon removal industry: a primer

The systems and technologies emerging from the field of Carbon Removal hold immense significance for future generations in maintaining carbon stocks, regulating flows, and safeguarding against the perils of runaway climate change. At its core, carbon removal involves the extraction of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and its subsequent storage in reservoirs. While numerous methods exist for pulling and storing carbon, a divide sometimes persists between purely technological and natural systems.

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working at the forefront of technological advancements encompassing direct air capture, carbon management technologies, carbon markets, and the development of financial incentives that extend beyond carbon. Within the following selection of past writings, a glimpse of this journey is unveiled:

• We can’t rely on carbon capture and storage to make a dent in solving climate change without a carbon removal hook (2016)
• What is direct air capture part 1 (2017)
• What is direct air capture part 2: Climeworks Launch (2017)
• How the Nori marketplace works for US croplands (2019)
• Do it, prove it, sell it: my evolving views on carbon accounting (2021)
• What does an ecosystem service cost? (2022)

First things first: carbon removal isn’t just about carbon removal

The first rule of carbon removal is that you don’t talk about carbon removal. This might be confusing at first, but to truly make something connect to carbon removal, it first has to be about everything that is somehow connected to everything that connects to the carbon cycle. This includes:

Oceans

Oceans play a role in carbon removal through processes like natural carbon sequestration, oceanic ecosystems, and the potential for ocean-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. The Ocean Visions website shares examples that include: electrochemical ocean capture, marine ecosystem restoration, artificial downwelling, macro/microalgal cultivation, and deep sea storage.

Spanish Mackerel in Kelp Forest

Agriculture

The agricultural sector currently has an outsized impact on greenhouse gas emissions, and yet soils also represent one of the world’s largest carbon sinks. Carbon removal and retention in soils through improved land management while also generating significant co-benefits to the land and communities. Companies serving this opportunity range from agronomists, to see providers, to equipment manufacturers to food companies.

Forestry

Recognizing the vital role of forests in carbon sequestration, promoting sustainable forestry practices, reforestation efforts, and preserving natural forest ecosystems supports a significant carbon sink. Improved forest management, through efforts by the Forest Stewardship Council, forest preservation, and reforestation projects contribute to more carbon out of the atmosphere and stored in biomass.

Drone footage of autumn forest

Mining

There is an opportunity to reverse the degradation from mining and use minerals, or tailings from certain rocks to contribute to more carbon sequestration. Assessing the carbon footprint of mining operations, exploring technologies to reduce emissions in mining processes, and examining the potential for carbon utilization or storage in mine sites will continue to develop opportunities that can use mine tailings for carbon sequestration.

A basalt mine

Industrial Carbon Management

There are a number of carbon capture, utilization, and storage technologies, both natural and technological, to effectively remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and develop sustainable carbon management strategies. These technical approaches include industries that are able to capture CO2 directly from the atmosphere or point sources and convert or sequester it.

Fuels

As a subset of carbon management is the fuels industry. Carbon removal can play a key role in reducing carbon intensity of different fuels, including fossil fuels, biofuels, and emerging low-carbon alternatives, and exploring carbon capture and utilization technologies in fuel production and consumption. Example of this include ethanol, cellulosic biofuels, syngas, and electrogas. It is important to note that liquid hydrocarbon fuels may not provide net sequestration of carbon dioxide if the exhaust gas is not captured as part of a carbon management solution.

Built Environment

This includes the carbon impact of buildings, infrastructure, and urban planning, and strategies for energy-efficient buildings, low-carbon materials, and carbon-neutral urban development. While the carbon removal piece of the built environment is negligible relative to the impact of the development, use of new materials with low or negative carbon presents an exciting avenue for carbon removal. Design schools such as the Endeavor Centre are on the cutting edge of advancing some of these buildings.

Data

Intersecting all of the above categories is data. Data are critical in understanding and quantifying carbon emissions, carbon removal potential, and the impacts of various sectors on the climate. Data collection, analysis, and modeling are crucial for informed decision-making and funding the development of effective carbon removal strategies. Data allow for the identification of areas with the highest potential for carbon removal, the assessment of progress, and the identification of gaps and opportunities for improvement as well as the obvious connection to market based incentives.

What the whole space needs: harmonization

Beyond understanding that carbon removal isn’t simply about carbon removal — but integrating carbon accounting across various interventions that would create benefits — there are quite a few areas to focus to stimulate this industry.

Collaborative efforts should focus on developing common standards, methodologies, and protocols for CDR technologies. This will facilitate compatibility, interoperability, and comparability across different projects and countries. Harmonization efforts can streamline the development and deployment of CDR solutions. Key areas for harmonization include:

1. More pilot test beds that talk to each other. The Department of energy DE-FOA-0002963: Bipartisan Infrastructure Law Carbon Capture Large-Scale Pilot Projects provides up to $820 million for up to 10 projects focused on de-risking transformational carbon capture technologies and catalyzing significant follow-on investments for commercial-scale demonstrations on carbon emission sources across the power and industrial sectors. This is a good start, but significantly more is needed for technology transfer, best management practices, and reducing learning curves.
2. Policy and Regulatory Frameworks: Harmonizing policy and regulatory frameworks at national, regional, and international levels helps create a level playing field and avoids inconsistencies and barriers. This involves aligning climate policies that support various public funding, along emission reduction targets, carbon pricing mechanisms, renewable energy policies, and sustainability regulations. Harmonized policies facilitate cross-border collaboration, investment flows, and the scaling up of sustainable practices.
3. Functional Finance and Investment Vehicles: Harmonization in finance and investment mechanisms is important to attract capital, ensure transparency, and enable effective resource mobilization. This includes harmonizing methodologies for climate finance tracking, impact measurement, risk assessment, and financial reporting. Harmonized approaches help reduce investment risks, increase investor confidence, and facilitate the flow of funds toward climate-resilient and low-carbon projects.
4. Standardized Data Collection: The development of standardized protocols and methodologies for data collection, will ensure that consistent data is collected across different projects, locations, and timeframes. This includes establishing guidelines for measuring and quantifying environmental impacts, ecosystem services, and social costs and benefits. Standardized data collection facilitates meaningful comparisons and analysis across different activities and sectors. The FAIR Principles are one example of an effect to do this that sets guidelines to improve the Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability, and Reuse of digital assets.
5. Data Transparency and Accessibility: Data transparency and accessibility should be prioritized to facilitate collaboration and accountability. This involves making data openly available, adhering to data sharing standards, and promoting interoperability. Transparent and accessible data empowers researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to analyze and validate information, fostering evidence-based decision-making and enabling the replication of studies across different contexts. One good example of this in the agricultural is with Ag Data Transparent.
6. Common Metrics and Indicators: Defining common metrics and indicators that capture the relevant aspects of true cost accounting will support the total costs and benefits of the project. This will ensure that assessments can be made more accurately across different activities. Beyond carbon removal, common metrics must connect to frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals and other guidance set by efforts such as the Science Based Targets Initiative.
7. Integrated Approaches: The space should consider the integration of data collection for multiple ecosystem services and impacts. This involves capturing the interdependencies and trade-offs between different environmental and social dimensions. For example, data collection efforts should consider how activities impact carbon emissions, water quality, soil health, biodiversity, and community well-being simultaneously. Integrated approaches provide a more comprehensive understanding of the true costs and benefits of actions.
8. Longitudinal Data Collection: Harmonization efforts should also address the need for longitudinal data collection, enabling the assessment of changes and trends over time. By collecting data consistently and regularly, it becomes possible to track the impacts of activities, policy interventions, and sustainability measures. The more pilot programs and on going activities that are connected to carbon removal are able to share information, the better equipped policy makers and entrepreneurs will be to improve solutions. Longitudinal data provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of different approaches and allows for informed decision-making.
9. Stakeholder Engagement: Harmonization efforts should include stakeholder engagement to ensure that data collection processes consider diverse perspectives and needs. Stakeholders, including local communities, scientists, policymakers, and industry representatives, should be involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of data collection initiatives. By incorporating various viewpoints, harmonized data collection can address the specific requirements of different stakeholders and foster a sense of ownership and trust in the process.
10. Patent pools: Frameworks that balance the protection of intellectual property rights with the need for collaborative innovation can help spur innovation. Encouraging open innovation models, technology licensing, and patent pools can facilitate knowledge sharing and collaboration while protecting commercial interests.
11. Collaboration and Learning: Collaboration and learning can be achieved through knowledge sharing platforms, collaborative research projects, and capacity-building initiatives. Collaboration allows for the exchange of best practices, methodologies, and lessons learned, contributing to the continuous improvement of data collection processes and the refinement of true cost accounting approaches. There are multiple learning networks out there. Our own learning network hosts monthly “Off the Climate Record Calls” — and is being grown deliberately from people who fill out this form.