Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies 2026

Foreword Amid accelerating climate impacts, the race to stay in line with targets under the Paris Agreement demands both deep emissions reductions and large-scale carbon removal. The challenge is formidable: heavy industry, transport and agriculture continue to emit billions of tonnes of CO2 annually, while the atmospheric stock of past emissions keeps rising. Achieving climate stability therefore depends not only on cutting new emissions but on removing existing ones – at scale and with durability. Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) technologies are quickly moving from the margins to the mainstream of the climate transition. Once considered speculative, they are now emerging as credible, investable pathways – ranging from direct air capture (DAC) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) to biochar and enhanced rock weathering (ERW). These technologies are moving from concept to early commercialization, backed by growing corporate demand, policy incentives and a new generation of innovators and financiers. Yet the market remains nascent: fragmented standards, unclear accounting rules and limited capital flows to cover high costs continue to constrain deployment. At the forefront of efforts to change this trajectory is the First Movers Coalition (FMC) – a group of global companies committed to using their purchasing power to accelerate the scale-up of emerging climate technologies. Through early offtake commitments and advance market signals, FMC members are catalysing investment in first-of-a-kind carbon removal projects, transforming demand into a driver of innovation and cost reduction. This paper builds on that mission. Developed by the World Economic Forum, in collaboration with Oliver Wyman and with data and intelligence provided by ClimeFi, it provides a data-driven overview of the CDR market and offtake landscape. Drawing from aggregated marketplace data and industry interviews, it maps the evolving profiles of buyers and suppliers, identifies emerging financing and contracting trends and explores the dynamics shaping market bankability and scalability. Its findings reveal both progress and paradox: while corporate offtake commitments are increasing, long-term investment remains constrained by regulatory ambiguity, fragmented markets, high costs and the absence of standardized risk-sharing mechanisms. Closing these gaps will require coordinated action – by policy- makers, financiers, corporates and innovators – to create the enabling frameworks that can turn early demand into durable supply. As this decade unfolds, durable carbon removal will not be an optional supplement to decarbonization – it will be a defining pillar of it. By strengthening transparency, financing structures and offtake confidence, we can ensure that CDR becomes not just a climate necessity but an engine of innovation and economic opportunity. Together, we can move from promise to proof – and from early commitments to enduring impact.Noam Boussidan Programme Head, First Movers Coalition, World Economic ForumIlya Khaykin Partner and Head of Climate Risk and Sustainable Finance, Americas, Oliver Wyman Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies: Market Overview and OfftakeMarch 2026 Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies: Market Overview and Offtake 3