Plentitude of Pathways: Expert Views on the Benefits and Risks of Carbon Dioxide Removal in Six Countries

A consensus is emerging that carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is indispensable for achieving net-zero targets and managing hard-to-abate greenhouse gas emissions. However, many modeling and quantitative studies fail to represent the complex sociotechnical landscape of CDR, often limiting their scope to a few technological options and providing an incomplete analysis of the trade-offs between deployment benefits and risks. This study addresses this gap through a qualitative, expert-driven assessment of the most significant benefits and risks facing CDR deployment across three Global North (Italy, Norway, and the United Kingdom) and three Global South (Brazil, Malaysia, and Saudi Arabia) contexts. Methodologically, the study derives its insights from an original data set of N = 98 semistructured interviews with a diverse range of CDR experts from academia, government, civil society, and the private sector. The analysis identifies 12 economic, political, ecological, and social benefits alongside 12 corresponding risks, revealing critical context-specific synergies and tensions that must be navigated for ensuring the equitable and sustainable deployment of CDR.