Criteria for
High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal 

Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal 

Criteria for
High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal 

2025 Edition

2025 Edition

Introduction

Introduction

The science is clear. Ambitious action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also rapidly scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Effective and equitable climate action can both reduce climate loss and damage and provide wider benefits to society. The AR6 WIII report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates the global community must remove 100-1,000 billion metric tonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2100 to limit persistent warming to no more than 1.5°C. To reach this goal, large-scale CDR projects must annually remove 5-10 GtCO2 by midcentury. Achieving this goal will require rapid scale-up and deployment of all viable CDR methods.

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The science is clear. Ambitious action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also rapidly scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Effective and equitable climate action can both reduce climate loss and damage and provide wider benefits to society. The AR6 WIII report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates the global community must remove 100-1,000 billion metric tonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2100 to limit persistent warming to no more than 1.5°C. To reach this goal, large-scale CDR projects must annually remove 5-10 GtCO2 by midcentury. Achieving this goal will require rapid scale-up and deployment of all viable CDR methods.

Read more

The science is clear. Ambitious action is needed to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions while also rapidly scaling carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Effective and equitable climate action can both reduce climate loss and damage and provide wider benefits to society. The AR6 WIII report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates the global community must remove 100-1,000 billion metric tonnes (Gt) of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 2100 to limit persistent warming to no more than 1.5°C. To reach this goal, large-scale CDR projects must annually remove 5-10 GtCO2 by midcentury. Achieving this goal will require rapid scale-up and deployment of all viable CDR methods.

Read more

Download the report: 2025 Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal

Download the report: 2025 Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal

Carbon Direct in collaboration with Microsoft, releases the fifth edition of the Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal, supporting carbon credit procurement, project design, and evaluation.

Acknowledgement

Acknowledgement

This fifth edition of the Criteria for High-Quality Carbon Dioxide Removal stands as a testament to the collaborative spirit and deep expertise of over 50 science contributors from Carbon Direct, Microsoft, and independent reviewers across industry and academia. Our contributors' specialized knowledge and commitment is the cornerstone of this edition, providing wide-ranging expertise in a range of fields from engineering and project implementation to ecology and climate justice. We also acknowledge the valuable support provided by our management, marketing, legal, editorial, and design teams. These contributions significantly enhanced the clarity, accessibility, and impact of our work. We extend our deepest gratitude to all who have played a part in bringing this edition to fruition.

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