Integrating Carbon Dioxide Removal into Clean Energy and Climate Transitions
This Collection supports research related to SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG 11: Sustainable Cities, SDG 13: Climate Action
As global temperatures rise and the carbon budget for 1.5°C rapidly shrinks, carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is no longer optional—it is a necessary complement to aggressive emissions cuts. The IPCC makes clear that gigaton-scale CDR must be deployed by mid-century to address both residual emissions and legacy carbon already in the atmosphere.
While approaches such as direct air capture (DAC), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), enhanced mineralization, and ocean-based removal hold significant promise, their real-world deployment raises urgent questions of energy demand, land use, governance, and justice. Without integrated planning, CDR risks becoming a distraction from emissions reductions—or worse, reinforcing inequities and environmental harms, particularly in frontline and Global South communities.
This Collection aims to advance CDR science and practice by highlighting research that connects removal with systems-level decarbonization, circular resource use, and just climate transitions. In keeping with the journal’s mission, we emphasize interdisciplinary innovation, actionable frameworks, and equity-informed pathways for scaling durable removals.
We invite Original Research, Reviews, and Perspectives on, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Coupling CDR with Renewable Energy Systems: Innovations in BECCS, DACCS, and ocean alkalinity enhancement (OAE); co-location strategies; lifecycle integration across marine and terrestrial domains.
- Biomass-Based Carbon Removal: Sustainable biomass utilization with carbon capture; tradeoffs across land, food, energy, and carbon objectives.
- CDR in Urban and Regional Climate Planning: Integration into urban green infrastructure (e.g., mineralization, DAC siting, biochar use); land-use planning tools; case studies from the Global South; subnational policy design.
- Policy, Market, and Equity Frameworks: Enabling governance, Article 6 implications, market transparency, community consent, and equitable benefit-sharing.
- Digital and Emerging Technologies for Scalable CDR: AI/ML for system optimization; MRV innovation; digital twins and modeling tools for dynamic facility design and deployment.