CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States

This working paper, part of the World Resources Institute's 'CarbonShot' series, outlines federal policy options to scale carbon removal in the United States to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

• To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, the United States requires large-scale federal investments in carbon removal, estimated at up to $6 billion annually for the next 10 years, with further support for deployment after 2030. The goal is to reach a benchmark of 2 GtCO2 removed per year by 2050, which aligns with emissions left unabated in the U.S. Mid-century Strategy for Deep Decarbonization.
• Carbon removal is categorized into various pathways: low-tech natural methods (such as agricultural soil management and tree restoration), high-tech methods (such as direct air capture), and emerging concepts like enhanced mineralization. These are distinct from carbon capture and storage (CCS) with fossil energy, avoided land use conversion, cropland nutrient management, and solar radiation management.
• Federal investment is necessary to address different needs across the carbon removal portfolio: natural pathways require public funding to bridge the gap between total costs and co-benefit values, while technological pathways require ongoing research, development, and commercialization support.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States. https://www.wri.org/research/carbonshot-federal-policy-options-carbon-removal-united-states

Chicago

World Resources Institute. CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States. n.d. https://www.wri.org/research/carbonshot-federal-policy-options-carbon-removal-united-states.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States |url=https://www.wri.org/research/carbonshot-federal-policy-options-carbon-removal-united-states |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendcarbonshot, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{CarbonShot: Federal Policy Options for Carbon Removal in the United States}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://www.wri.org/research/carbonshot-federal-policy-options-carbon-removal-united-states}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }