# Carbon Removal Technology Investments Rise, But Storage Durability Questions Persist

Carbon removal technologies are attracting billions in new investment as governments and companies seek climate solutions. However, research reveals a troubling gap: some models vastly overestimate capture rates because they fail to account for natural Earth processes that counteract these efforts.

Technologies like enhanced weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement aim to accelerate natural carbon absorption. Enhanced weathering spreads crushed rock on soil to absorb CO2 from the atmosphere. Ocean alkalinity enhancement adds alkaline substances to seawater to increase its carbon-absorbing capacity. Both methods mimic processes that occur slowly in nature.

The problem emerges in the accounting. Scientists have found that existing models often ignore secondary effects. When rocks weather faster, soil systems respond differently. When ocean chemistry shifts, biological and chemical feedback loops activate. These natural adjustments reduce net carbon removal by anywhere from 10 to 50 percent in some scenarios, according to researchers studying the methods.

This gap matters for climate targets. Companies marketing carbon removal technologies to meet net-zero pledges rely on these inflated figures. If actual capture falls 30 percent short of projections, corporations and nations will miss emissions reduction goals while believing they've met them.

Storage durability presents a separate challenge. Some captured carbon remains stable for centuries. Other pathways release CO2 back into the atmosphere within decades. Enhanced weathering carbon can persist for thousands of years when locked in mineral form. Ocean-based methods face more uncertainty, with timescales ranging from decades to millennia depending on water circulation patterns and chemical stability.

Researchers emphasize the need for standardized measurement protocols. The International Panel on Climate Change and emerging carbon standards bodies are developing frameworks, but widespread adoption remains incomplete. Without transparent, consistent accounting, investors and policymakers cannot reliably assess whether technologies deliver promised results.

Carbon removal remains