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Carbon Removal Scalability Assessment: Summary Report

  • Isobel Sizer
    Policy Analyst
  • Lily Ginsberg-Keig
    Policy Manager
  • Finn O'Muircheartaigh
    Director Policy & Markets
  • Carbon Removal
The scalability of carbon removal methods is nuanced. No single method can be deemed “most scalable” due to the uncertainty of the future and the high variation between projects of the same method. Each method has its own scaling challenges. One of DAC’s largest barriers is energy, BECCS has land as a key barrier, Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement has challenges with MRV readiness, Enhanced Weathering struggles with having sufficient policy support, and Biochar’s feedstocks mean that land remains a key barrier.

This is a summary report of our analysis. The full analytical report is provided exclusively on the BeZero Carbon Markets platform.

Here are some key takeaways

  • BeZero Carbon provides a first of its kind assessment looking at the scalability of five carbon removal methods. The assessment identifies the gaps and barriers to scaling which research, investment and policy support can help overcome.

  • The analysis finds that each method has unique barriers to scaling and no method will scale on current trajectories without intervention. For example, Bio-energy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) has a very significant land barrier to scaling, whereas Direct Air Capture (DAC) has a very minor land barrier. The inverse is true when looking at the energy barrier to scaling.

  • Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement has some of the largest barriers to scaling currently, particularly on policy and monitoring reporting and verification (MRV) readiness. Biochar has some of the lowest barriers to scaling, part

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