Land-based resources for engineered carbon dioxide removal in the United States exceed the expected needs

Abstract

Removing carbon dioxide from the air and storing it underground is a new technology aimed at addressing the impacts of a changing climate. While this technology is promising, it relies on land-based natural resources such as grasses, wind energy, and solar energy, which could interfere with other important activities such as protecting biodiversity conservation, reducing carbon emissions from the power system, and producing food. Our research shows that when choosing biomass carbon removal and storage (BiCRS) and direct air capture and storage (DACS), we can manage land resources in the contiguous United States to achieve carbon neutrality or even negative emissions, without causing land-use conflicts.