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The analysis finds that while MRV is present in current and proposed U.S. federal policies for carbon dioxide removal (CDR), requirements are inconsistent and not comprehensive. The authors argue that a dedicated federal MRV function is necessary to provide transparency, accountability, and consistency, avoiding the proliferation of conflicting standards seen in the voluntary carbon market. Such a function would coordinate an ecosystem involving government agencies, academics, and NGOs to manage quantification uncertainty and reversal risk.

The policy brief warns that using soybeans and corn for aviation fuel increases food prices and causes deforestation, urging the US government and states like California to prioritize non-food feedstocks such as waste biomass and e-fuels.

The U.S. is leading global CCUS development, driven by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, with over 120 projects in planning or construction. China is rapidly expanding its capacity, having commissioned its first million-ton project in 2022 and developing several large-scale demonstration projects. Both nations face significant barriers: the U.S. struggles with commercial bank financing and public perception, while China lacks a comprehensive regulatory framework and large-scale transport infrastructure. Under the Sunnylands Statement, the two countries aim to advance at least five large-scale cooperative CCUS projects each by 2030.

The document estimates that agricultural soil carbon management in the United States could remove 100–200 MtCO2 per year by 2050 at a cost of approximately $40 per ton of CO2. It advocates for a hybrid federal policy approach combining financial subsidies, technical assistance, and expanded research and monitoring to overcome farmer risk-aversion and scientific uncertainty.

The document identifies critical infrastructure and policy needs for scaling carbon removal in the United States, including the requirement for low-carbon energy to power direct air capture, the need for independent life-cycle assessments, and the expansion of geologic storage and CO2 pipeline networks. It emphasizes the importance of improving monitoring systems for natural carbon capture and increasing land use efficiency to balance food production with ecosystem restoration.

Direct air capture (DAC) involves scrubbing CO2 from ambient air for underground storage or use in products, requiring low-carbon energy to achieve net carbon removal. The document argues that the U.S. could plausibly remove over 1 gigaton of CO2 by midcentury if commercial deployment begins by 2025 with 20–30 percent annual growth. Achieving this requires a dual policy approach: approximately $150 million in annual public funding for R&D and demonstration over the next decade, and amendments to the 45Q tax credit to incentivize private investment, with estimated tax expenditures rising from $360 million per year by 2025 to $1.3 billion by 2030.

Tree restoration in the United States, including reforestation, restocking understocked forests, silvopasture, cropland agroforestry, and urban reforestation, offers a significant near-term opportunity for carbon removal. The document estimates a plausible removal of 180–360 MtCO2 per year by 2040, with an average cost of less than $10 per ton of CO2. To achieve this, the author argues for federal policy interventions such as tax credits or direct payments, environmental integrity safeguards, the use of third-party intermediaries, and technical assistance for landowners.

The document outlines the role of direct air capture (DAC) as a complement to greenhouse gas emission reductions to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees C. It asserts that while DAC plants have resource usage impacts similar to other industrial infrastructure, they can have lower on-site emissions if powered by renewable energy. The author recommends that federal funding for DAC be contingent on social and environmental assessments, community engagement, and the use of local labor. It further calls on the U.S. Congress to leverage purchasing power and increase appropriations for research and development to ensure equitable and cost-effective deployment.

The document outlines the importance of long-term strategies (LTS) as a link between shorter-term Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Paris Agreement goals. It details six core elements of an LTS: a long-term vision, quantified mitigation goals, adaptation and resilience plans, pathways with interim milestones, monitoring and revision processes, and transparent communication. The guide emphasizes the role of civil society in holding governments accountable and ensuring a just transition, particularly in the context of economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

The United States needs to remove approximately 2 GtCO2 per year by 2050 to achieve climate neutrality, given that the U.S. Mid-century Strategy for Deep Decarbonization leaves roughly 2.55 GtCO2 of gross annual emissions unaddressed and land sinks are projected to decline. To reach this target, the document argues that an "all-of-the-above" portfolio—combining natural pathways like tree restoration and agricultural soil carbon with technological approaches like direct air capture—is the most effective, risk-averse, and cheapest strategy, yielding the highest cumulative carbon removal by 2050.

The World Resources Institute (WRI) provides research and policy recommendations to support the United States' transition to a low-carbon economy. Its work spans industrial modernization in sectors like cement and steel, the deployment of renewable and clean firm power, and the development of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategies. WRI also focuses on systemic barriers such as permitting reform for energy transmission, the responsible sourcing of critical minerals, carbon pricing, and the electrification of transportation, including a specific initiative for electric school buses.

The document presents a comparative analysis of multiple carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies and nature-based solutions, detailing their Technology Readiness Levels (TRL), estimated costs per tonne of CO2, and annual mitigation potentials. It highlights that while some methods like afforestation and BECCS have substantial contributions in Integrated Assessment Models (IAMs), others such as biochar and soil carbon sequestration are still in development or not yet incorporated into these global pathways. The analysis also weighs the co-benefits, such as improved biodiversity and soil health, against risks including land competition with food production and potential carbon reversal.