We have an unprecedented opportunity to jumpstart a thriving, just, and equitable economy that removes more carbon than it emits — the budget request released today by the Biden administration is an essential first step in realizing this opportunity. In particular, the emphasis on investments in key science needs for soil carbon sequestration and a revitalization of the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management with call outs to direct air capture and industrial decarbonization represent historic support for carbon removal across solutions.

Last year, we released a transition book that detailed dozens of recommendations for the incoming administration. We’re…

by Erin Burns, executive director and Rory Jacobson, policy consultant

The 45Q tax credit could receive an update and expansion with the drop of yesterday’s bipartisan bill, which includes an increase in the credit value specifically for direct air capture (DAC). In a few weeks, we’ll be releasing our largest ever set of federal policy recommendations for scaling carbon removal, but seeing many of our priorities reflected in this bill got us excited to give a sneak peek of our thinking on how 45Q can catalyze equitable DAC development and deployment.

A little background

In 2018, the 45Q tax credit was updated to…

by Noah Deich, president

Elon’s prize is just the beginning when it comes to driving much-needed innovation and transformation in the carbon removal field.

First, what’s the deal with Elon’s $100M carbon removal prize?

Prizes have long captured the imagination of billionaire carbon removal philanthropists (see Richard Branson’s Virgin Earth Challenge from 2007). But where previous efforts have fizzled, Elon’s effort sounds very promising: as I mentioned to Bloomberg, the XPRIZE team administering the prize is highly knowledgeable about carbon removal, experienced with prize execution, and have been very deliberate about incorporating a wide range of stakeholders’ input in their prize design. …

by Vanessa Suarez, senior policy advisor

Towards the end of December, Congress passed H.R.133 — a massive omnibus spending bill containing $900 billion for COVID-19 relief, $1.4 trillion for fiscal year 2021 (FY21) appropriations, and new authorizations. As we’ve written before, federal funding is vital for advancing the full suite of carbon removal solutions, from ready-to-deploy approaches like forestry to more nascent technologies like direct ocean capture.

How we got here

In the past two years, carbon removal has started to receive meaningful levels of dedicated funding from Congress for the first time ever. In FY20, Congress began following the recommendations of the National…

When we moved our HQ to DC last year, it was in preparation for an opportunity like the one we now face: a Congress and new administration committed to acting on climate at a scale that will accelerate the US towards a carbon-removing future. With agencies grabbing up some of carbon removal’s brightest stars (including C180 alumni!), it’s clear that carbon removal is gaining mainstream momentum — and fast. …

by Ugbaad Kosar, senior policy advisor

The inequity of the climate crisis

We are in a climate emergency and those that have contributed the least will be impacted the most. I distinctly remember the moment this concept of climate injustice hit home for me: in 2011, I watched a painful, multi-year drought unfold in the Horn of Africa while receiving almost daily updates about how my family — stewards of the Sub-Saharan lands — was facing unprecedented crop failures, pest outbreaks, and livestock die-off. Their lack of access to resources, expertise, or government support worsened the situation.

The climate emergency is here. And it is devastating.

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View the DAC MAPP here.

A rapidly growing field

Direct air capture (DAC) is a young but fast-evolving domain, and one that will continue to undergo significant, continuous transformation in the immediate and long-term future.

Today, this change is being driven by a growing cast of global actors in the private sector, civil society, and research spheres. The sum total of their diverse and parallel efforts on the ground — present and future, incremental and disruptive — are collectively being made in service of one epically ambitious but simple objective: the massive acceleration of real-world DAC deployment in a timeframe that matters to the…

Below is the executive summary of Carbon180’s Transition Book: Priorities for Administrative Action on Carbon Removal in 2021+. Please direct any inquiries to hello@carbon180.com.

We are at the inflection point for stopping climate change. Growing public awareness and mobilization alongside increasingly devastating impacts from wildfires, hurricanes, and drought make clear that this moment is critically positioned for addressing the climate crisis. The next administration will need to take bold action in 2021 and beyond to drastically and swiftly reduce emissions across all sectors of the economy. …