New research suggests that carbon removal estimates for enhanced weathering and ocean alkalinity enhancement may be overly optimistic. While these technologies accelerate natural geological processes to capture CO2, the carbon often fails to reach long term ocean storage due to mineral trapping in soils and rivers. Understanding the durability of these removals is critical for the integrity of voluntary carbon markets. Current field trials often overlook downstream losses, raising questions about whether these methods provide truly additional and permanent atmospheric carbon reduction.
