The Urgent Need for CDR Solutions

Our planet faces an unprecedented crisis: there's too much carbon in our atmosphere. While efforts to reduce emissions are underway, we are currently failing to do so fast enough to secure a sustainable future. At CDL-Paris Carbon Removal stream, we support deep tech startups that are developing breakthrough approaches to capture and store CO2 at scale. By scaling their solutions, we aim to turn science into impactful technologies that can help rebalance our atmosphere and strengthen the fight against climate change.

One year ago, HEC Paris and Creative Destruction Lab joined forces with XPRIZE, to launch the CDL Carbon Removal stream. During the program, CDL-Paris hosted the Paris session of the stream at Station F, and brought together mentors and fellows from around the world to address the most pressing challenges of our time.

Why Carbon Removal is Non-Negotiable

For centuries, human progress has been powered by carbon-intensive activities, from the coal-fired engines of the Industrial Revolution to today's widespread dependence on fossil fuels. While these advancements fueled development, they also left a damaging legacy: vast amounts of carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulating in the atmosphere. This excess CO2 is directly leading to escalating climate impacts: global warming, disrupting climate systems, endangering biodiversity, and placing ecosystems under increasing stress.

But as Andres Chapa, CEO of Tierra Pietra says: “Reductions won't be enough”, and even “short-term carbon removal in force won't; we need to do all of them.” Nikki Batchelor, Executive Director of XPRIZE Carbon Removal, highlights that carbon removal has often been an overlooked piece of the climate puzzle; but now its significance cannot be overstated. To mitigate the worst effects of climate change and meet global climate goals, we must actively remove this legacy carbon. Indeed, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has made it clear that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is a critical tool for achieving net zero by 2050. 
 

“We need to be removing carbon from the atmosphere that's been emitted over the last hundreds of years through the human revolution.”

 - Cory Sanderson, co-founder of Sustaera

Major organizations and governments are beginning to invest billions into scalable carbon removal solutions, further validating its essential role in achieving net-zero targets and restoring atmospheric balance.

Tackling CO2 Removal Challenges: From Experiment to Gigaton Scale

The task ahead is immense, presenting significant challenges. Indeed, the industry must grow dramatically - from removing thousands of tons today to billions of tons by 2050 - to meet the urgency of the climate crisis. As Meirav Koren Beeri, co-founder of Giga Blue, emphasizes: “To help companies to focus on their own reductions, we need to help them with their removals.”

“We need to develop a wide set of solutions that can go and pull that CO2 out of the air, process it and lock it away permanently outside of the atmosphere which will eventually then draw down that concentration and hopefully reverse climate change…” states Stacy Kauk, Chief Scientific Officer at Isometric and CDL mentor. This will also help “to have a more sustainable feed stock for carbon molecules in the future.”

Achieving this vision requires a broad portfolio of technologies and solutions, each contributing unique strengths depending on geography, scalability, permanence, and cost. 

These include:

• Direct Air Capture (DAC)
• Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)
• Carbon Mineralization
• Forestation and Reforestation
• Soil Carbon Sequestration
• Ocean-Based Carbon Removal
• Enhanced Weathering

Currently, many of these technologies are still in their early stages. They might be experimental or operating on a small scale, however, there's an urgent need to escalate these efforts. “We need to start now, we need to experiment now,” says Andres Chapa, CEO of Tierra Pietra, “even if they’re experimental projects, even if they’re small in scale, we need to build this body of data and academic knowledge that we will eventually need to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.”

Initiatives like Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) are recognized for their role in fostering this growth, offering mentorship, global reach, and support to help carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions overcome the inherent challenges on their path to gigaton scale.
 

A Hopeful Path Forward

While the challenges are significant, there is strong hope that these obstacles can be overcome. A vital piece of the carbon removal puzzle lies in Creative Destruction Lab (CDL) and its dedicated Carbon Removal stream, a powerful partnership forged with XPRIZE and extended through global nodes including HEC Paris.
 

“By leveraging the unique strengths of Creative Destruction Lab and XPRIZE, we are committed to creating an environment where visionary ideas can flourish… ensuring that these pioneering solutions can meet the immense challenges of the climate crisis.”

Anousheh Ansari, CEO of XPRIZE

Indeed, in June 2024, XPRIZE officially selected Creative Destruction Lab as its strategic partner for the ambitious $100 million Carbon Removal Prize, funded by the Musk Foundation. This global competition spans four years and calls on startups to demonstrate scalable and sustainable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) methods, aiming for a target of removing 1,000 net tonnes of CO₂ in the final year and charting a pathway toward megatonne and eventually gigatonne removal by 2050.

Read also: HEC Paris and CDL Global Join Forces with XPRIZE for Carbon Removal

Through the CDL-Paris Carbon Removal stream, HEC Paris Innovation & Entrepreneurship Institute supports deep tech startups that are developing breakthrough approaches to capture and store CO2 at scale. By scaling their solutions, we aim to turn science into impactful technologies that can help rebalance our atmosphere and strengthen the fight against climate change.

Learn more about CDL-Paris