Biological Carbon Removal
Biological Carbon Removal
Back to Basics: The Race to Restore and Scale Nature’s Carbon Sinks
For billions of years, photosynthesis has been pulling carbon from the atmosphere, turning sunlight and CO₂ into the biomass in our forests, soils, and ocean life. The scale is staggering: plants take up hundreds of gigatons of CO₂ each year. The downside? Most of that carbon cycles right back into the atmosphere through decay and respiration, leaving only a tiny fraction stored long-term. But what if we could increase the portion of CO₂ that nature keeps locked away? Innovators are exploring new ways to convert biomass into ultra-stable forms like biochar, lock it away in deep storage, or slow the natural processes that cause decomposition — transforming temporary removal into a durable carbon sink. By amplifying nature’s own processes, and prolonging their carbon-storing capacity, we can unlock one of the most readily scalable decarbonization pathways our planet has to offer.
Emissions not estimated by IPCC
Innovation Imperatives
Innovation Imperatives
Critical needs that can help accelerate the path to net zero
Biomass Preservation
Design new methods to increase permanence and prevent biomass decomposition
While plants are experts at capturing atmospheric CO₂, that carbon is quickly released when they decay. We need to engineer new, cheap methods that preserve this biomass at scale, transforming it into stable, inert materials that lock away carbon for centuries. This allows us to convert forestry and agricultural residues into permanent storage, creating a direct and scalable pathway for carbon removal.
Moonshots
Moonshots
High-risk, high-reward innovations that could radically reshape our path to net zero
Self-Replicating Biological Systems
Develop engineered organisms that self-propagate to create living carbon sinks
Nature already deploys self-replicating systems — from forests to plankton blooms — that draw down carbon at scale. By engineering biological systems that can propagate themselves while enhancing CO₂ uptake, we could create low-cost, scalable removal mechanisms that expand with minimal human input. This might include enhanced ocean algae, root-deepening crops, or fast-growing marine organisms. The promise lies in exponential growth potential, but risks around ecological disruption, governance, and permanence are significant. If managed responsibly, this approach could provide a living, evolving carbon sink that grows stronger over time.
Tech Categories
Tech Categories
Groupings of climate technologies
| Cluster Name | Readiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Biological MRV | Pilot | |
Biological MRV is the process of quantifying carbon removal or emission reductions, documenting the methods and results, and ensuring their accuracy through third-party validation for biological carbon removal. | ||
| Biomass Utilization | n/a | |
Biomass utilization converts organic materials—agricultural residues, forestry byproducts, dedicated energy crops—into forms that don’t decompose and then stores them underground for long periods of time. | ||
| Reforestation & Afforestation | Commercial | |
Reforestation and afforestation are related but distinct processes. Reforestation is the process of replanting CO2-eating trees in areas that were once forested but have been depleted or cleared, while afforestation is the process of planting trees in areas that were not previously forested, with the goal of creating new forest cover. | ||
| Soil Carbon | Pilot | |
Soil Carbon approaches increase the ability of soils to absorb carbon for the long haul. |
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