Lessons learned evaluating carbon removal projects

Abstract:

Addressing the crisis of climate change requires action on several fronts. Alongside critical reductions in emissions, we now need large-scale deployment of carbon removal, including both biological and technological approaches for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Over the last year, we have been developing methods to analyze and validate the potential impact of different carbon removal projects and technologies, so as to build a public database of projects and develop other public materials and interactive web content explaining different aspects of carbon removal. We collaborate with academic scientists to develop our analytical methods. We then work with decision makers in the public and private sector to help inform their decisions while enhancing transparency and accountability. In this presentation, we’ll share challenges and lessons learned in this effort. In particular: the importance of distilling and translating research from several complex scientific domains into harmonized concepts and simplified data resources, and the need to understand the constraints and motivations of those attempting to fund carbon removal projects.