Nordahl et al. (2024): Carbon accounting for carbon dioxide removal

Sarah L. Nordahl, Rebecca J. Hanes, Kimberley K. Mayfield, Corey Myers, Sarah E. Baker, Corinne D. Scown IN: One Earth 7 (9), 1494-1500, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.oneear.2024.08.012

Despite a rapid growth in CDR purchases, no single standardized methodology for evaluating project-level net CO₂ removal exists. Life cycle assessment (LCA) frequently produces net-negative emissions footprints, but only a small subset of those systems achieves a net flux of CO₂ out of the atmosphere. In contrast to LCA, CDR accounting uses expansive system boundaries and excludes avoidance credits to distinguish between systems that achieve net removal from those that only contribute to emissions mitigation. This primer discusses a framework and set of metrics for CDR accounting.

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