SPECULATIVE BETS IN CARBON REMOVAL

This briefing from the World Resources Institute outlines two speculative carbon removal approaches: carbon mineralization and enhanced root crops. It details the theoretical potential, current barriers, and recommended federal research and development funding required to advance these technologies.

• Carbon mineralization involves accelerating natural reactions between atmospheric carbon dioxide and reactive sources such as silicates or rocks rich in magnesium or calcium to create solid carbonate minerals. One specific application involves using mined reactive rock for synthetic building materials; shifting one-third of the construction aggregate market to mineralized aggregate could remove 410 MtCO2 per year from the atmosphere.
• The cost of carbon mineralization is initially lower than direct air capture when using industrial waste or reactive mining, but costs increase at larger scales due to logistical constraints and the need to mine reactive minerals. To clarify promising pathways and demonstrate commercial viability, the document suggests a federal research and development investment of approximately $25 million per year.
• Enhanced root crops aim to increase soil carbon sequestration by developing plants with larger, deeper, and more numerous roots. The theoretical potential for this approach across 249 million acres of major U.S. crops is estimated at up to 185 MtCO2 per year, though this depends on achieving root size and depth similar to perennial grasses, which has not yet happened in commercial U.S. crop breeds.
• The primary barriers to the deployment of enhanced root crops include the need to maintain taste and yields comparable to conventional crops and the speed of the breeding process to allow for wide-scale use before 2050. The National Academies of Sciences recommends a sustained research and development budget of $40–50 million per year for a decade or more to accelerate the development of these varieties.

APA

World Resources Institute (n.d.). SPECULATIVE BETS IN CARBON REMOVAL. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/carbonshot-speculative-bets-carbon-removal.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. SPECULATIVE BETS IN CARBON REMOVAL. n.d. https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/carbonshot-speculative-bets-carbon-removal.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=SPECULATIVE BETS IN CARBON REMOVAL |url=https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/carbonshot-speculative-bets-carbon-removal.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitutendspeculative, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{SPECULATIVE BETS IN CARBON REMOVAL}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, url = {https://wriorg.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/carbonshot-speculative-bets-carbon-removal.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }