In May, the 2025 Carbon Unbound East Coast summit successfully wrapped in New York, having convened in one place a community of more than 400 attendees featuring leading business experts, investors, buyers, and policymakers in the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) space, with 80% of participants coming from C-suite or director level.
Over two days, this event delivered an agenda of diverse CDR-focused panels and discussions that covered topics like carbon investments and financing, policy and regulations, market adaptation in a changing political environment, the voluntary carbon market, and innovations in CDR technologies.
Mirroring the West Coast 2024 event edition, the Carbon Unbound East Coast one also held a live Carbon Removal Marketplace, organized in partnership with AirMiners, Terraset, and CDR.fyi, that gave philanthropic and corporate buyers a chance to make real-time CDR commitments.
Beyond providing a space for crucial sector talks and connections, this event also helped gain a valuable perspective on the current state of affairs in the industry, which the Carbon Unbound team summarized in a post-summit report.
The report paints a picture of an adaptive CDR industry that is not only navigating the challenges brought on by recent political updates and risks of funding cuts in the US, but one that is finding a way to use this turbulent situation to pinpoint opportunities for growth and improvement.
The United States, home to the world’s most developed carbon removal industry, has been facing uncertainties in federal support, with the possibility of funding getting cancelled for major projects.
In this dynamic reality, the CDR sector is witnessing a global realignment in which players like Canada, the EU, the UK, Brazil, and parts of Asia are emerging as industry pillars, while the US shifts its focus towards sub-national action at the state and city levels.
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The Carbon Unbound report also underlines that in order to scale, the voluntary carbon market needs clearer standards, diversified and creative financing models, as well as bolder activity on behalf of new buyers that would power the further industry growth.
RMI Principal Daniel Pike pointed out, “The next six months are vital for CDR. The first wave of technological CDR may crash without new voluntary corporate buyers.”
He added, “More established forest and land management practices need more support, too. Companies can and should step up now, ahead of SBTi’s process, with a focus on quality and a commitment to honesty.”
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