Cascade’s Approach to Policy

Our policy priorities are shaped by the specific considerations of each intervention that we work on, but our driving purpose remains to address obstacles and break down system-level bottlenecks to progress.

Latest blogs:

Sep 17, 2025: Drawdown to Durable Storage: Understanding ERW in EU Carbon Removal Policy↗ Jun 2, 2025: Recommendations from Foundations as the EU Explores Enhanced Rock Weathering↗
Farm

Policy Priorities for ERW


Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) is a promising durable carbon removal and land management solution that involves spreading finely crushed alkaline rocks onto fields. By speeding up the natural weathering process of rocks, ERW can absorb CO2 from the atmosphere and durably store it for millennia. ERW can also help counteract widespread soil acidification by providing a cost-effective soil pH management solution to farmers. To unlock ERW’s full carbon and agronomic potential, governments should:

  • Invest in dedicated ERW research and development on carbon quantification, agronomic impacts, and environmental risks and co-benefits. Publicly-funded R&D should target remaining uncertainties for ERW that the private sector is not well-positioned to address. In particular, long-term field trials and associated data collection and management will be critical to understand ERW’s carbon, agronomic, and environmental impact across a range of soil types, operational systems, and regional climates.
  • Provide financial assistance to address barriers to scale and support farmer adoption.: Government financial assistance is needed to overcome barriers to scaling ERW—such as high measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) costs—while supporting farmer adoption through new business models. This can take the form of funding for pilot projects, procurement policies, and direct compensation to farmers for ERW adoption.
  • Increase confidence of prospective carbon removal buyers and investors to enter the market through high-rigor standards and clear regulatory frameworks. Uncertainty around the durability and credibility of carbon removal credits, a lack of regulatory clarity, and overall market immaturity have kept prospective CDR buyers and investors from entering the market. Governments can address these challenges through non-financial levers, including the development of high-rigor MRV standards, regulations with transparent timelines, and clear carbon accounting frameworks.

Government Engagement

Cascade provides policy support and advice through responses to formal calls for public comment across various jurisdictions.

Cascade also participates in formal government advisory groups and consortiums including:
  • U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) Consortium
  • U.S. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Mineralization CDR Measurement, Reporting, and Verification Collaborative
  • U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory Standardized Carbon Removal Offtake Agreement Advisory Board

Next Horizons

In addition to our ongoing US and European Union ERW efforts, we are beginning to engage in other geographies that have high potential to accelerate ERW, including in Brazil and India, and are exploring the role that policy can play in advancing adjacent fields, including river and ocean-based carbon dioxide removal.

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