Advancing technology to remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere

This fact sheet from the World Resources Institute outlines the current state of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies, emphasizing the United States' leadership in research, development, and deployment (RD&D). It details various technological and nature-based approaches to removing CO2 from the atmosphere and the specific U.S. policy mechanisms, such as tax credits and funding programs, used to scale these innovations.

• Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) encompasses a variety of technological and nature-based methods that could potentially remove over one billion tonnes of CO2 annually in the United States, although most are currently in the demonstration or development phases.
• Direct Air Capture (DAC) is the CDR approach receiving the most U.S. policy support, including the $3.5 billion Regional DAC Hubs program in the BIL and 45Q tax credits providing up to $130-180 per tonne of CO2. Consequently, more than 50% of global DAC companies are based in the United States.
• Biomass Carbon Removal and Storage (BiCRS) includes methods like bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), which is eligible for 45Q tax credits of up to $60-85 per tonne of CO2. The document notes that using waste biomass is ideal to prevent threats to biodiversity or food security caused by dedicated feedstock cultivation.
• Other CDR methods include carbon mineralization, which accelerates reactions between CO2 and minerals, and marine CDR (mCDR) such as seaweed cultivation and direct ocean capture. These methods generally receive less federal funding than DAC; for example, the National Oceanographic Partnership Program provided $24 million to 17 mCDR research projects in 2023.
• Despite significant U.S. government investment in the CDR innovation lifecycle, a substantial gap remains between the current trajectory of deployment and the amount of carbon removal required by midcentury.

APA

World Resources Institute (2025). Advancing technology to remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2025-03/advancing-technology-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-atmosphere-2-pager.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. Advancing technology to remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere. 2025. https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2025-03/advancing-technology-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-atmosphere-2-pager.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=Advancing technology to remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere |date=2025 |url=https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2025-03/advancing-technology-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-atmosphere-2-pager.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2025advancing, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{Advancing technology to remove carbon pollution from the atmosphere}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2025}, url = {https://files.wri.org/d8/s3fs-public/2025-03/advancing-technology-remove-carbon-dioxide-from-atmosphere-2-pager.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }