Toward a New Carbon Economy

The briefing proposes a 'new carbon economy' to manage carbon as a valuable resource rather than just a waste product. It identifies five core activities—point source capture, carbon dioxide removal, utilization, storage, and transportation—and argues that a lack of coordination between these sectors is currently delaying infrastructure investment and risking the misallocation of resources. The author asserts that a broad coalition of experts and civil society is needed to define a strategic vision for this system to ensure it supports decarbonization without extending the life of fossil fuel power plants.

• The 'new carbon economy' is defined as an economic system that treats carbon dioxide as a valuable raw material for food, fuels, and materials while aiming for a net-negative emissions footprint.
• The new carbon economy comprises five integrated activities: Point Source Carbon Capture (PSC/CCS), Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR), Carbon Utilization (CCU), Carbon Storage, and Carbon Transportation.
• A lack of alignment and collaboration between carbon management activities is currently hindering progress, leading to stalled shared infrastructure and the risk of locking in sub-optimal technologies.
• There is a significant gap in carbon transportation infrastructure in the United States; while 30,000-96,000 miles of CO2 pipelines may be required by 2050, only approximately 5,300 miles are currently operational.
• Strategic application of carbon capture is necessary, as it is considered critical for the decarbonization of cement but should not be used to prolong the operation of coal-fueled electricity generators.

APA

RMI (2026). Toward a New Carbon Economy. https://rmi.org/resources/toward-a-new-carbon-economy/

Chicago

RMI. Toward a New Carbon Economy. 2026. https://rmi.org/resources/toward-a-new-carbon-economy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Toward a New Carbon Economy |date=13 April 2026 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/toward-a-new-carbon-economy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2026toward, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Toward a New Carbon Economy}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2026}, month = apr, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/toward-a-new-carbon-economy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }