Carbon removal is often referred to as a "newborn" industry - but carbon removal just hit a new stage of maturity. (here's the video version of this message)
There's a lot happening! But what's our destination?
What does a full-fledged carbon removal industry actually look like?
Now's time to get clear on where we're headed -- and I need your help.
Here's my take on what "full-fledged" industry looks like: Removing 1 GT of carbon dioxide yearly through marketplaces where companies pull carbon from the air for customers (govts, corps, individuals).
Unpacking that a bit: 1 GT means there's a marketplace that handles trillions of dollars of carbon removal purchases (1 GT x $1,000 per ton = $1T). That means roughly $3B trading on carbon markets every day of the year. That means the full stack of carbon removal including thousands of companies working on capture, storage, products, and currency-grade measurement and verification to back it up. That means hundreds of thousands of people working at those companies to make it happen. Every country will have a carbon removal policy and a plan. An educational pipline that starts in high school, to college and trade school to equip leaders and teams.
It's easy to nod along when I hear folks talking about "gigaton scale" and all the crazy stuff of the day. But to actually get there I need you and more people like you painting a picture of what a mature carbon removal industry looks like.
My questions to you:
What else is part of this picture?
Which part or parts are you helping to create?
Get those ideas out there, talk with others about what this industry looks like at gigaton scale. Figure out what that future looks like, then build what's missing. The industry right now looks like very hole-y swiss cheese. Soooooo many holes...so many opportunities.
Go post your ideas on AirMiners Slack about it in the #general channel! (If you're taking a break from Slack, talk with your friends or your cat about this)
Look forward to seeing more ideas painting a picture of what a mature carbon removal industry looks like.
I write a weekly newsletter highlighting the AirMiners community and carbon removal industry.
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