In the UK, from direct air capture to farming smarter and reforesting the tropics, carbon drawdown is no longer the stuff of academic journals or green tech expos, it’s the frontline of our collective climate response. But which solutions are actually viable and which are energy-intensive distractions dressed up in eco-hype?
A Comprehensive Guide to Carbon Drawdown Technologies, produced by Word Forest in collaboration with environmental scientists, Oxford researchers and sustainability consultants, is a critical new publication that tackles this very question.
The 56-page report doesn’t shy away from the complex truth: there is no silver bullet. Instead, it presents a rigorous, accessible comparison of 14 carbon drawdown methods, from high-tech mineralization and ocean alkalinity to more grounded solutions like ecosystem restoration and tropical tree planting. Each method is analyzed using a traffic-light system, rating its cost, complexity, and carbon capture potential.
Some methods (like Direct Air Capture) require massive financial and energy inputs to yield modest gains. Others, such as planting trees in tropical regions like Kenya, offer not only high carbon capture potential at a low cost but come bundled with co-benefits: food, medicine, shade, biodiversity, and vital income for local communities.
