Carbon Dioxide Removal: Best-Practice Guidelines

The report argues that engineered CDR is essential to achieving the Paris Agreement goals, as decarbonization alone cannot offset historic emissions or natural feedback loops. It details four primary engineered technologies—biochar, BECCS, DACCS, and ERW—highlighting their advantages in durability and scalability over nature-based solutions. To scale these costly technologies, the report encourages corporate leadership through advance purchases and long-term offtake agreements. It provides practical frameworks for securing budgets via internal carbon pricing and outlines three market access models: direct deal-making, buyers' clubs, and over-the-counter purchases.

• Achieving the Paris Agreement goals requires global emissions to reach net zero by 2050 and then become net-negative, necessitating the removal of approximately 10 billion tonnes of CO2 annually by 2050.
• Engineered CDR is categorized into four main technologies: Biochar carbon removal (BCR), Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), Direct air capture with carbon storage (DACCS), and Enhanced rock weathering (ERW).
• Engineered CDR offers higher integrity than natural climate solutions (NCS) due to superior additionality, durability (storing carbon for centuries to millennia), and easier quantification through industrial measurement.
• While currently representing only 0.1% of total CDR, engineered solutions have a higher theoretical mitigation potential by 2050 (up to 62 Gt CO2/yr) compared to NCS (33 Gt CO2/yr) because they require less land.
• The primary barrier to scaling engineered CDR is high cost; for example, current end-to-end costs for DACCS are estimated between $600 and $1,000 per tonne.
• Corporate leadership is required to provide demand signals through offtake agreements, which allow developers to secure the project finance and loans necessary to scale operations.
• Companies can secure budgets for CDR by implementing an internal carbon price, which removes annual budget uncertainty and prioritizes actual emission reductions over removals.
• There are three primary market access models for engineered CDR: direct deal-making (best for large volumes), buyers' clubs (best for smaller volumes and diversification), and over-the-counter purchases (best for flexibility and speed).
• Engineered CDR can support a just transition by repurposing existing fossil fuel infrastructure, such as pipelines and depleted oil fields, to prevent job losses in traditional energy communities.

APA

World Economic Forum (2024). Carbon Dioxide Removal: Best-Practice Guidelines. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Carbon_Dioxide_Removal_Best_Practice_Guidelines_2023.pdf

Chicago

World Economic Forum. Carbon Dioxide Removal: Best-Practice Guidelines. 2024. https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Carbon_Dioxide_Removal_Best_Practice_Guidelines_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Economic Forum |title=Carbon Dioxide Removal: Best-Practice Guidelines |date=January 2024 |url=https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Carbon_Dioxide_Removal_Best_Practice_Guidelines_2023.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldeconomicforum2024carbon, author = {{World Economic Forum}}, title = {{Carbon Dioxide Removal: Best-Practice Guidelines}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_Carbon_Dioxide_Removal_Best_Practice_Guidelines_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }