Enhanced Weathering Alliance Launches to Accelerate a Leading Carbon Removal Pathway

The following is a press release from the Enhanced Weathering Alliance.

BRUSSELS, March 21, 2024 – In an important milestone for climate innovation, the Enhanced
Weathering Alliance (EWA) has been launched, bringing together top-tier companies in the
pursuit of advancing enhanced weathering for carbon removal. The EWA advocates for policy
that helps intensify and accelerate carbon removal deployment, to speed up and step up EW’s
contribution to Europe’s ambitious climate targets. Today’s launch is accompanied by the
release of an Enhanced Weathering Policy Primer published by the Carbon Business Council
with input from EWA members, which highlights the state of the market and the significant
deployment opportunities for enhanced weathering.

EWA member companies include: InPlanet, Eion, Silica, Carbonaught, Carbony, The Rock Flour
Company, Carbonfuture, Lithos, and Flux. EWA is launched with support from Cascade Climate
and Carbon Drawdown Initiative. The Carbon Business Council, a nonprofit trade association of
more than 100 carbon management companies, is serving as the Secretariat.

EWA is focused on scaling carbon removal through EW and is especially focused on European
Union policy. The Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) has laid the groundwork for
certifying and incentivizing carbon removal solutions. With the EU’s 2040 Climate Targets and
the Industrial Carbon Management Strategy recently published by the European Commission,
there is an opportunity to solidify Europe’s leadership position in climate policy. The EWA urges
policymakers to recognize the potential of emerging carbon removal pathways, such as
enhanced weathering, which offers a permanent solution to CO2 emissions by naturally storing
carbon through rock dissolution.

Adam Wolf, Co-Founding Director of the EWA, highlights the urgency: “Enhanced weathering is
a game-changer for carbon dioxide removal and is essential for decarbonizing sectors like
agriculture. It’s imperative that the EU Expert Group recognizes EW’s capacity to achieve up to 4
Gt CO2 annual global removal by 2050 and its extensive co-benefits.”

As EWA, we applaud the European Institutions for agreeing on the Carbon Removal Certification
Framework (CRCF), a vital step toward addressing the EU’s carbon emissions and positioning
Europe as a leader in global carbon removal. Yet, it is now on the EU Expert Group on Carbon
Removals to assist the Commission’s work on developing planned delegated acts that will
specify how the CRCF is operationalised. Tasked to design carbon removal methodologies, it is
crucial that the Carbon Removal Expert Group included a level playing field for carbon removal,
including an enhanced weathering (EW) methodology leveraging on its significant potential to
deliver robust, durable carbon removal in Europe in the decade to come.

Enhanced weathering is a promising carbon removal approach that can leverage existing
infrastructure and agronomic practices to rapidly scale. EW involves spreading rock powders on
agricultural land to accelerate the natural carbonate-silicate cycle and permanently removes
carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere. The well-documented agricultural and
environmental benefits of EW present a low-risk, manageable approach that promises to deliver
sustainable and effective carbon sequestration solutions. Scientists globally have reached
consensus that removing gigatons of carbon removal will be required to meet the goals of the
Paris Agreement.

The EWA is committed to collaborating with policymakers and stakeholders to ensure that
enhanced weathering is recognized and integrated into the EU’s carbon removal strategy. By
including EW in the CRCF, the EU can unlock the full potential of this technology, fostering
innovation and securing a sustainable future for all.

About Enhanced Weathering Alliance (EWA): The Enhanced Weathering Alliance is a coalition
advancing the development and application of enhanced weathering. These solutions are
pivotal in the permanent sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide, contributing significantly
to global climate change mitigation efforts.

For more information, please contact: Adam Wolf, Co-Founder Enhanced Weathering Alliance:
Info@CarbonBusinessCouncil.org.