We can and must set rigorous MRV methodologies for enhanced rock weathering now.

Since we released Foundations for Carbon Dioxide Removal Quantification in Enhanced Rock Weathering Deployments↗ (“Foundations” for short), a question we often hear from the ERW community is: knowing the complexity, heterogeneity, and spatiotemporal scale of quantifying CDR in an ERW deployment, is it possible to develop rigorous methodologies that guide deployments today?

The Cascade team believes the answer is yes. Rigorous measurement, reporting and verification (MRV) methodologies can be developed for ERW, provided that: 

1. Methodologies are aligned with the current state of science and best practices—with Foundations offering a strong starting point;
2. Methodologies require accounting for site specificities and variations across soil and hydrological systems; and
3. A process exists to regularly update the methodologies as the state of science and best practices evolve. 

The Cascade team also believes that rigorous MRV methodologies must be developed for ERW. Commercial deployment is a productive avenue for learning, provided that project developers follow rigorous MRV methodologies and transparently share the learnings and data. 

Commercial deployment can generate the rich datasets needed to advance our collective understanding of where and how to responsibly deploy ERW with optimal carbon and co-benefits. They can also advance learnings for the field on how to carry out MRV operations at a progressively larger scale, and act as the operational backbone for R&D collaborations needed to tackle remaining scientific uncertainties. Without rigorous MRV, commercial deployments won’t carry nearly the same value in responsibly scaling ERW. 

Quantification complexity in and of itself should not be a barrier for investing in deployment. The primary challenge—and opportunity—is the collective willingness to fund direct measurements, and to ensure sharing of the collected data. We need catalytic buyers to pay for the needed rigor; credit issuers to develop stringent rulesets for the early market; governments to pioneer CDR policies that incentivize deployment-led learning; and practitioners and researchers working in concert to tackle the thornier quantification challenges.

Cascade encourages the community to reference Foundations, among other resources, in the development of rigorous MRV methodologies now, and help chart a course for data sharing and data-informed improvement of ERW MRV over time.