The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has convened more than 150 international experts in Rome, Italy, from 14 to 16 April to begin work on the 2027 Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CDRT-CCUS).

The report will provide comprehensive scientific guidance on a wide range of carbon dioxide removal and storage approaches, from CO₂ capture, utilisation and long‑term storage to emerging land‑based and coastal solutions. It will also offer updated scientific methods for assessing technologies such as direct air capture, soil and biomass-based removals, coastal ecosystem approaches and the production of durable CO₂‑derived materials.

“This Methodology Report will serve as a fundamental reference for transparent and consistent reporting on climate action, strengthening the scientific basis for mitigation policies,” said Takeshi Enoki, the Co-Chair of the IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories (TFI).

“Together, these updates will strengthen countries’ ability to consistently estimate and report emissions and removals across the full spectrum of methods covered by the IPCC guidelines,” said Mazhar Hayat, the other TFI Co-Chair.

The IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories is responsible for developing and improving internationally agreed methodologies and tools for estimating and reporting greenhouse gas emissions and removals by signatories of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and its Paris Agreement.

The Methodology Report will be prepared through a structured and transparent process, with four Lead Author meetings where the report’s content will be developed and refined in line with approved guidance. It will also undergo two formal review stages, first by experts and then by governments and experts jointly. The second-order draft is scheduled for public review from 31 August to 25 October 2026. Final approval of the Methodology Report by IPCC member governments is expected at the end of 2027. Once completed, the report is expected to provide a global reference framework for accounting carbon removal and storage in national climate reporting.

Photo courtesy of IPCC