Respecting the laws of physics PRINCIPLES FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL ACCOUNTING

The report establishes four core principles for verifying 'real' carbon dioxide removals: sourcing carbon from the atmosphere, ensuring permanent storage (at least 200-300 years), conducting comprehensive life cycle assessments of all associated emissions, and ensuring net-negative results. It argues against the 'false equivalency' that one tonne emitted equals one tonne removed, noting that removals may only undo up to 90% of an emission's impact and cannot reverse certain climate damages like sea-level rise. The author emphasizes that CDR should supplement, not replace, deep decarbonization to prevent 'mitigation deterrence,' where the promise of future removals slows current emission cuts.

• To be classified as a real carbon removal, a process must meet four minimum requirements: it must remove physical GHGs from the atmosphere, store them permanently, comprehensively estimate all upstream and downstream emissions in the balance, and result in a total quantity of stored gases that is greater than the total quantity emitted.
• The document defines 'permanent storage' as keeping carbon out of the atmosphere for at least 200-300 years, noting that while absolute geological permanence is impossible to guarantee, this timeframe aligns with how long CO2 remains in the atmosphere after emission.
• Carbon accounting for removals must utilize rigorous life cycle assessments (LCA) covering scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions to ensure the process actually lowers atmospheric GHG concentrations, using the most conservative estimates if a range of outcomes exists.
• The report argues that emission reduction and CDR accounting must be kept strictly separate to prevent 'mitigation deterrence,' where the prospect of future removals encourages the delay of necessary decarbonization efforts.
• The common assumption that 'a tonne is a tonne' is a false equivalency; a tonne of carbon removed may have 10% less impact on atmospheric concentrations than a tonne emitted, and removals cannot undo certain impacts such as rising sea levels.
• The document identifies three types of false equivalencies in CDR: carbon equivalence (ignoring the difference between long-cycle fossil carbon and short-cycle biogenic carbon), geographic equivalence (ignoring land rights and climate justice in low-income countries), and temporal equivalence (assuming future removals can compensate for present inaction).
• Overreliance on CDR is risky due to potential biophysical and economic limitations; some research suggests that the IPCC's projected removal of up to 1,000 GtCO2 by 2050 may be unrealistic.
• Certain CDR technologies can create a 'carbon debt' where emissions from construction and operation must be 'repaid' by the removal process over several decades, a delay the report argues the climate cannot afford.

APA

Carbon Market Watch (2021). Respecting the laws of physics PRINCIPLES FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL ACCOUNTING. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Respecting-the-laws-of-physics-Dec2021.pdf

Chicago

Carbon Market Watch. Respecting the laws of physics PRINCIPLES FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL ACCOUNTING. 2021. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Respecting-the-laws-of-physics-Dec2021.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Carbon Market Watch |title=Respecting the laws of physics PRINCIPLES FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL ACCOUNTING |date=December 2021 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Respecting-the-laws-of-physics-Dec2021.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{carbonmarketwatch2021respecting, author = {{Carbon Market Watch}}, title = {{Respecting the laws of physics PRINCIPLES FOR CARBON DIOXIDE REMOVAL ACCOUNTING}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2021}, month = dec, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/Respecting-the-laws-of-physics-Dec2021.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }