The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) convened more than 150 scientists in Rome on April 14–16, 2026, to begin work on the 2027 Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies and Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage — the CDRT-CCUS report. The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Food and Agriculture Organization and marks the formal start of a process that will reshape how governments account for CDR activities in national greenhouse gas inventories.
The CDRT-CCUS Methodology Report will provide comprehensive, standardised guidance on a wide range of carbon removal and storage approaches. Covered technologies include direct air capture (DAC), bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS), soil and biomass-based removals, coastal and marine ecosystem approaches (blue carbon), enhanced weathering, and the production of durable CO₂-derived materials. For geological storage, the report will provide updated scientific methods for estimating CO₂ permanence, leakage risk, and monitoring requirements — critical inputs for both the 45Q tax credit framework and voluntary carbon market methodologies.
IPCC Task Force on National Greenhouse Gas Inventories co-chair Takeshi Enoki stated that the report will "serve as a fundamental reference for transparent and consistent reporting on climate action, strengthening the scientific basis for mitigation policies." The report is expected for publication in 2027, in time to inform the Global Stocktake negotiations at COP33 and national inventory updates under the Paris Agreement's enhanced transparency framework.
The absence of standardised IPCC guidance for CDR technologies has been a persistent bottleneck for governments seeking to include removal activities in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Without agreed inventory methods, removals from DAC, blue carbon, and enhanced rock weathering projects cannot be formally counted in national accounts — limiting their use for compliance purposes and ITMO authorisation under Article 6.2. The CDRT-CCUS report directly addresses this gap.
For the voluntary carbon market, the IPCC methodology framework will also influence how registries such as Verra and Gold Standard approach additionality assessments and baseline setting for CDR methodologies. Projects developed in alignment with the emerging IPCC guidance will be better positioned for CCP label recognition by the ICVCM and for CORSIA Phase 2 eligibility as the scheme expands its acceptable credit categories in 2027–2028.
The standardisation of CDR measurement methods creates a new requirement for project developers and corporate buyers: their monitoring systems must be capable of generating data that meets IPCC-aligned inventory standards. This means high-frequency, sensor-based monitoring for soil carbon projects; continuous measurement and verification for geological CCS; and satellite-cross-referenced biomass assessments for nature-based removals. Manual annual audits cannot generate the granularity or frequency that IPCC-aligned national inventory reporting will require from 2028 onward.
The IPCC's Rome meeting is a watershed moment for CDR credibility. For too long, the voluntary carbon market has operated with CDR methodologies that lack a formal IPCC inventory anchor — creating a credibility gap that sophisticated buyers and regulators have been right to flag. At TrustVal, we are actively mapping our dMRV platform's monitoring protocols against the emerging CDRT-CCUS methodology framework. Project developers who align their measurement systems now — before the 2027 report is finalised — will be in the strongest position to issue credits that meet the new gold standard for removals accounting.
Primary sources: IPCC Press Release — April 14, 2026 | Environews Nigeria — IPCC CDRT-CCUS Report
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