Climate Change Solutions Update

Author: Carbon180

  • Carbon180’s Making Waves named to Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas

    Carbon180's Making Waves Coastal Community Regranting Initiative, recognized on Fast Company's World Changing Ideas list, aims to involve coastal communities in exploring marine carbon removal (mCDR) near them. The first cohort in Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico focuses on governance, community input, and ecosystem impacts to build long-term public trust and ensure equitable, locally grounded mCDR development. With the necessity of gigaton-scale carbon removal to mitigate climate change impacts, involving coastal communities in planning and implementation not only helps achieve this goal but also brings jobs and opportunities to these areas. Making Waves is dedicated to empowering coastal communities in the process of carbon removal projects.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/carbon180s-making-waves-named-to-fast-companys-world-changing-ideas/

  • Scaling technology-based CDR

    Reaching gigaton-scale carbon dioxide removal by midcentury is crucial for mitigating the impacts of climate change. Carbon180's Road to 2030 outlines actionable policy blueprints for achieving this goal through ocean, technological, and agricultural carbon removal pathways. The US has the potential to lead the global market in carbon dioxide removal technologies, but faces barriers such as lack of public funding, demand, standards, and community trust. The newly released federal policy roadmap, Scaling Technology-based Carbon Dioxide Removal, provides recommendations to address these gaps and advance the growth of the carbon removal industry. The importance of advancing federal research, development, demonstration, and deployment (RDD&D) alongside building infrastructure, creating durable markets, and strengthening standards in order to scale up Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) technologies is emphasized in the roadmap, serving as a starting point for policymakers, researchers, and advocates looking to advance CDR solutions and ensure the US remains a leader in technological CDR.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/scaling-technology-based-cdr/

  • mCDR at Capitol Hill Ocean Week (CHOW)

    Ocean champions gathered in DC for Capitol Hill Ocean Week, focusing on ocean health, economy, science, and well-being of coastal communities, with a key topic being marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR). Discussions emphasized the need for intentional and responsible development of mCDR, learning from past mistakes and involving diverse voices in shaping the field. Policy solutions highlighted a bipartisan approach grounded in community input, with a focus on the cost of inaction in addressing climate challenges. The section also discussed the irreversible harm caused by greenhouse gas emissions and the necessity of science-driven climate solutions like mCDR, recognizing the potential of mCDR as a climate solution and the importance of community engagement in shaping its development. Additionally, the potential for carbon removal solutions to address past issues of racism and discrimination in conservation work was highlighted, with an emphasis on inclusive and diverse voices in decision-making processes and collaboration with project developers and policy makers for a more hopeful future.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/mcdr-at-capitol-hill-ocean-week-chow/

  • Funding Carbon Removal Beyond Deployment

    Transformative investment in carbon removal interventions is essential for addressing challenges related to community trust, tangible value, and long-term alignment. This approach supports community relationships, value creation, stewardship, and durability, aiming to ensure the success of carbon removal projects. By focusing on restorative capital strategies, community engagement, and equitable governance, transformative investment seeks to regenerate resources, create local wealth, and strengthen social, economic, and ecological systems alongside carbon removal efforts. This approach not only addresses barriers to deployment, such as delays and opposition but also enhances public legitimacy and long-term durability of interventions. Ultimately, transformative investment is becoming a core indicator of intervention design for sustainable and effective climate solutions.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/funding-carbon-removal-beyond-deployment/

  • Introducing the demand triangle

    To effectively address climate change, cutting emissions and actively removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere are necessary. The US has made progress in this area, but challenges remain, including a small and concentrated market for carbon removal. A three-part policy framework called the "Demand Triangle" is proposed to address these challenges, including public procurement, shifting costs to industrial emitters, and leveling the playing field with trade policy. This framework aims to support the growth of a successful carbon removal industry while limiting consumer exposure to price increases, ultimately leading to the US leading a global carbon removal industry worth up to $1 trillion by 2050. The section discusses the importance of finding solutions that benefit the climate, industry, and communities most affected by climate change, emphasizing the need for action to address the consequences of inaction.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/introducing-the-demand-triangle/

  • Putting the CORE Framework Into Practice

    The CORE framework by Carbon180 focuses on responsible carbon removal by centering communities, ecosystems, and real climate outcomes, with principles and practices for design, deployment, and governance emphasizing transparency and community agency. Implementation involves decisions about site selection, project design, funding, monitoring, and governance, with different actors playing various roles. The framework is supported by a Resource Hub and hypothetical scenarios to guide implementation and bridge the gap between principles and reality, crucial for shaping the field for the future with institutions translating principles into infrastructure. The CORE principles aim to influence how carbon removal interventions are designed, governed, and evaluated, with considerations such as community participation, early-stage intervention design, and funding, procurement, and oversight, evolving alongside real-world experience and updated over time for refined implementation of responsible carbon removal.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/putting-the-core-framework-into-practice/

  • Introducing, the CORE Carbon Removal Framework

    The CORE Carbon Removal Framework, launched this week, emphasizes the importance of benefiting communities, the climate, and environmental systems through responsible carbon removal practices. It outlines principles such as justice, equity, transparency, and accountability to ensure successful projects and provides resources for those involved. As carbon removal transitions from research to practical applications, governments, companies, and policymakers are investing in shaping the development of programs. The framework aims to establish shared expectations and a common language for the growing field, with success dependent on responsible real-world implementation.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/introducing-the-core-carbon-removal-framework/

  • Communicating Carbon Removal in a Fractured Media Landscape

    Despite challenges in climate communication and lack of awareness about carbon removal, there is bipartisan support for carbon removal policies once understood. The climate movement must shift messaging from fear to hope, address concerns about environmental justice, and invest in local storytellers for effective action. Carbon180 is focusing on community-based initiatives in Alaska, Hawaiʻi, and Puerto Rico, emphasizing engagement with local communities for responsible deployment. Media coverage of climate change is declining, but there is growing interest in carbon removal among voters. The importance of climate policy and the need for urgency, hope, and transparency in climate solutions are key issues for 2025.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/communicating-carbon-removal-in-a-fractured-media-landscape/

  • Testing the Waters Together: Launching The mCDR Forum

    The mCDR Forum has been launched to facilitate cross-sector discussions on marine carbon dioxide removal, addressing concerns about governance, environmental integrity, and equity. Led by Carbon180, Ocean Conservancy, and the Carbon Business Council, the forum aims to create a neutral space for diverse actors to share information, surface concerns, and explore responsible pathways forward in the mCDR field. By supporting dialogue and learning, collective insights can inform research priorities, governance frameworks, and funding decisions to advance responsible progress in addressing climate solutions. Interested individuals and organizations are encouraged to join the conversation by registering for the forum.

    https://carbon180.org/blog/testing-the-waters-together-launching-the-mcdr-forum/