As of 2023, approximately 2.2 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (GtCO₂) are being removed annually worldwide. More than 99.9 percent of this total is from conventional methods on land. These removals are primarily from afforestation, reforestation, and management of existing forests. Novel CDR methods currently only contribute a tiny fraction of global carbon removals, with some 1.35 MtCO₂ removed per year. This accounts for less than 0.1 percent of total CDR. The largest current contributions to novel CDR are from biochar, at 0.79 MtCO₂ per year.
Total current amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) worldwide as of 2023, by method
(in metric tons of carbon dioxide per year)
Amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is the sum of conventional CDR (2013-2022) and novel CDR (2023). Figures are rounded.
Supplementary notes
Figures were calculated by Statista using data and information provided by the source.
Conventional CDR on land capture and store carbon in the land reservoir. The methods include in this group are: afforestation/reforestation; soil carbon in croplands and grasslands; peatland and wetland restoration; agroforestry; improved forest management; and durable Harvested Wood Products.
Novel CDR: All other methods, storing captured carbon in the lithosphere (geological formations), ocean or products. Generally at a TRL below 8–9, these methods are currently deployed at smaller scales. Examples include Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS), Direct Air Carbon Capture and Storage (DACCS), biochar and ocean alkalinisation.
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Statista. (June 5, 2024). Total current amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) worldwide as of 2023, by method (in metric tons of carbon dioxide per year) [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved December 30, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361097/global-carbon-dioxide-removals-by-method/
Statista. "Total current amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) worldwide as of 2023, by method (in metric tons of carbon dioxide per year)." Chart. June 5, 2024. Statista. Accessed December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361097/global-carbon-dioxide-removals-by-method/
Statista. (2024). Total current amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) worldwide as of 2023, by method (in metric tons of carbon dioxide per year). Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: December 30, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361097/global-carbon-dioxide-removals-by-method/
Statista. "Total Current Amount of Carbon Dioxide Removal (Cdr) Worldwide as of 2023, by Method (in Metric Tons of Carbon Dioxide per Year)." Statista, Statista Inc., 5 Jun 2024, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361097/global-carbon-dioxide-removals-by-method/
Statista, Total current amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) worldwide as of 2023, by method (in metric tons of carbon dioxide per year) Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361097/global-carbon-dioxide-removals-by-method/ (last visited December 30, 2024)
Total current amount of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) worldwide as of 2023, by method (in metric tons of carbon dioxide per year) [Graph], Statista, June 5, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1361097/global-carbon-dioxide-removals-by-method/
