Watson & Bui (2026): Can temporary carbon dioxide removal fix a long-term climate problem? An analysis of equivalency ratios and the like-for-like approach

Charles Watson and Mai Bui, IN: Environmental Research: Climate, https://doi.org/10.1088/2752-5295/ae4058

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are increasingly important for meeting climate targets. These can vary widely in terms of their permanence, with some methods temporarily storing carbon for decades and others storing carbon for millennia or longer. Economic equivalency ratios have been developed to understand and compare the value of CDR options in terms of permanence. These ratios enable the conversion of temporary carbon storage (i.e., low permanence) into an equivalent permanent value, using tools like discounting, time horizons, and damage functions. This study comparatively evaluates three key methods-the climate repair value, the social value of an offset, and discounted tonne-year accounting-by combining a Sobol sensitivity analysis with a critical qualitative assessment of their underlying assumptions.

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