Engineered carbon removal was supposed to be getting cheaper. Prices are boing up

illuminem summarises for you the essential news of the day. Read the full piece on The Wall Street Journal or enjoy below:

🗞️ Driving the news: Engineered carbon removal prices are rising, despite expectations that deployment would make the technology cheaper over time

🔭 The context: Carbon dioxide removal technologies were expected to follow learning curves similar to renewables, with costs falling as projects scaled
• Instead, delays, technical hurdles and delivery risks are pushing prices higher
• Buyers are now responding to the possibility that some projects may fail to deliver promised removals

🌍 Why it matters for the planet: Carbon removal is considered important for balancing hard-to-abate emissions, but rising costs could slow deployment and make net-zero strategies more difficult
• If removals remain expensive and uncertain, companies and governments may need to focus even more on direct emissions cuts

⏭️ What’s next: The market will likely place greater emphasis on project quality, delivery guarantees and transparent verification as buyers become more cautious

💬 One quote: “Only by building, testing and iterating can CDR technologies climb their learning curves.” — International Energy Agency analysts

📈 One stat: Over the past year, engineered carbon removal prices have increased rather than fallen, despite growing deployment

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