This week on Carbon Removal Newsroom, we’re bringing you the most significant Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) policy updates from COP26.

At the time of this episode’s release, COP26 is coming to a close. Many countries are pledging to bring their emissions to net-zero in the next few decades. What are the specifics of these new pledges, how does CDR fit into all of this, and what needs to happen to push the CDR industry forward in a timely manner?

Plus, last Friday night, House Democrats along with 13 Republican Representatives voted to pass the Bipartisan Infrastructure Deal that their Senate colleagues had approved 87 days earlier.  Included in the bill is $3.5b to build four direct air capture hubs— an amount that dwarfs all other federal support of DAC to date. The bill also provides $2.5b to build geologic storage sites for storing the gas underground and $2.1b to transport it via pipelines. Will this all be enough to create significant progress towards U.S. climate goals?

Our good news story of the week centers around Biden’s Carbon Removal “Earthshot” initiative, which has the goal of bringing carbon removal costs to $100/ton by 2030.

We are joined by special guest host David Morrow, the Director of Research at the Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy at American University, and Research Fellow at the Institute for Philosophy and Public Policy at George Mason University. As always, hosts Radhika Moolgavkar of Nori and Holly Jean Buck of the University at Buffalo are here to weigh in on the latest carbon removal happenings.

Resources

Sustainable Carbon Removal Report (Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy)

Why the BID is a BIG Down Payment on Clean Energy

Buying down the Cost of Direct Air Capture

U.S. sets goal to drive down cost of removing CO2 from atmosphere