A useful learning and networking opportunity for anyone interested in CDR: The Massachusetts & Carbon Removal – Concepts free webinar on July 10.
Carbon Dioxide Removal, or CDR, describes a range of activities that remove CO2 from the atmosphere and durably store it in geological, biological or ocean reservoirs for long periods of time. According to the UNIPCC, in addition to rapid decarbonization, “CDR will be necessary to achieve net-negative CO2 emissions” ( 2023); and “unless affordable and environmentally and socially acceptable” forms of CDR become “available at scale well before 2050, pathways to 1.5C will become difficult to realize” (2018).
Recognition of CDR’s critical importance is already embedded in Massachusetts’ comprehensive climate strategy, and acknowledged as a critical need for attaining the commonwealth’s legally-binding net-zero target by 2050. The Massachussetts 2050 Decarbonization Roadmap (2020) calls for the development of “a robust framework for a range of “negative emissions” through carbon dioxide removal and storage methods,” and concludes that “innovation in business and governance models for CDR technologies is essential for CDR to effectively and sustainably scale” in the commonwealth.
But the prospect of advancing CDR locally should not be considered simply as a costly obligation for the Bay State to bear. There is a massive opportunity for Massachusetts to seize an early and decisive leadership position in this future trillion-dollar industry that will produce millions of jobs and valuable social benefits globally in the decades to come. The commonwealth’s dynamic economy, world-leading research institutions and talent pool, and diverse natural and industrial resources equip it with powerful competitive advantages in this emerging sector.
But realizing, sustaining and scaling a real world carbon removal sector in the state will requires smart, comprehensive and fair public policies that will ensure maximum impact public benefit, while creating catalytic demand for diverse carbon removal projects and companies.
The Massachusetts Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act, S 2096, is designed to do exactly this. Introduced by Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Stone Creem, this unique model policy offers an onramp to CDR acceleration in the state that is anchored in science and a fundamental commitment to fairness and transparency.
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