The Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy is a research center dedicated to assessing the social, legal, ethical, and political implications of carbon removal technologies and practices.
Together with traditional mitigation actions, including cutting greenhouse gas emissions, carbon removal may help the world avoid dangerous climate change impacts. There will be good and bad ways to develop and use particular carbon removal options. We know that carbon removal cannot act as a panacea or “solve” climate change. This emerging field is fraught with uncertainties, both in terms of the potential risks associated with large-scale deployment of many of these approaches as well as the ultimate potential of carbon removal. None of these technologies are yet proven to work at scale, and each raises a set of environmental and social benefits and risks that are still poorly understood. The Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy is dedicated to developing a comprehensive set of tools to assess these technologies and practices, individually and as a suite, at local, national, and global levels.
Explore our factsheets, webinars, reference center, and more. Don't forget to check out the Carbon Removal Blog to learn more!
In September 2019, Institute co-director Wil Burns took part in a convening of experts and funders to discuss knowledge gaps in the field of ocean alkalinity enhancement. The result is a co-authored report on the current state of knowledge on ocean alkalinity enhancement and the potential role of philanthropy.
Read abstracts for articles on carbon removal which explain recent academic publications in ways that are more accessible to non-specialists.
ICRLP Faculty Fellow Jason Funk co-authored a report on integrating nature into Nationally Determined Contributions.
Read our new report mapping the landscape of the carbon removal conversation.
Fact sheets provide educational introductions to various carbon removal technologies.
