The case for carbon avoidance technologies: A megaton of prevention is worth a gigaton of cure

The author contends that preventing emissions through carbon avoidance technologies is more efficient and cost-effective than removing CO2 after it has been emitted. The text argues that current financial incentives, such as the US 45Q tax credit and voluntary carbon markets, create 'perverse incentives' by valuing carbon capture and direct air capture (DAC) significantly higher than carbon avoidance. The author advocates for technology-agnostic carbon credits and the immediate deployment of industrial avoidance technologies, specifically in cement and steel production, to prevent long-term emissions in developing regions like India and Africa.

• The author categorises climate mitigation into three approaches: adopting non-emitting technologies (avoidance), capturing CO2 at the source (point-source CCS), and removing CO2 from the atmosphere (DAC). Due to a funding gap of up to $3.5 trillion per year for net zero by 2050, the author argues for prioritising avoidance and point-source CCS over DAC.
• Carbon avoidance is presented as more cost-effective and resource-efficient than carbon capture. While adding CCS to industrial processes increases capital and operating expenses, avoidance technologies can deliver goods at cost-parity once scaled. Furthermore, avoidance technologies offer greater decarbonisation per kilowatt hour (kWh) of renewable energy.
• There is a significant disparity in the valuation of carbon credits, which the author claims creates incentives to emit and then clean up rather than avoid emissions. In voluntary markets, DAC credits can reach $600/tonne, while tech-enabled avoidance credits are valued around $10/tonne.
• The US 45Q tax credit provides financial rewards for point-source capture ($85/tonne) and DAC ($180/tonne), but provides $0 for carbon avoided through efficiency or avoidance technologies.
• Immediate deployment of industrial avoidance technologies is critical for developing regions, as India and Africa are expected to roughly triple cement production by 2050 from 2018 levels, and industrial plants often last 50 to 100 years.

APA

Ellis, L. (2024). The case for carbon avoidance technologies: A megaton of prevention is worth a gigaton of cure. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/carbon-avoidance-technologies-megaton-prevention-gigaton/

Chicago

Ellis, Leah. The case for carbon avoidance technologies: A megaton of prevention is worth a gigaton of cure. World Economic Forum, 2024. https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/carbon-avoidance-technologies-megaton-prevention-gigaton/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Ellis |first1=Leah |title=The case for carbon avoidance technologies: A megaton of prevention is worth a gigaton of cure |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=11 January 2024 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/carbon-avoidance-technologies-megaton-prevention-gigaton/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{ellis2024case, author = {Ellis, Leah}, title = {{The case for carbon avoidance technologies: A megaton of prevention is worth a gigaton of cure}}, publisher = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/energy-transition/carbon-avoidance-technologies-megaton-prevention-gigaton/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }