IPCC begins work on 2027 report on carbon removal technologies

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has begun work on a major new report that will guide how countries measure carbon removal and storage.

The 2027 Methodology Report will focus on carbon dioxide removal technologies and carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS), providing updated scientific methods for estimating emissions and removals.

The IPCC, set up by the United Nations Environment Programme and the World Meteorological Organization, produces global assessments that inform climate policy and international negotiations.

The first meeting of authors for the new report was held from April 14 to 16, 2026, at the Food and Agriculture Organization headquarters in Rome.

According to the IPCC, the report will give governments a stronger scientific basis to track emissions and removals from a wide range of technologies. These include direct air capture, land- and biomass-based methods, coastal ecosystem solutions, and the production of durable carbon-based materials.

The work is being led by the IPCC’s Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, which develops global standards for reporting emissions under the Paris Agreement.

Like other IPCC reports, the document will go through multiple rounds of drafting and review by scientists and governments before final approval in 2027.

“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, co-chair of the task force.

His co-chair, Mazhar Hayat, said the updates would help countries better estimate and report emissions and removals across different technologies.