This keynote cuts through the policy noise to reveal how carbon removal rules are taking shape across global markets - and what that means for real-world investment and deployment. From federal and regional frameworks to trade-linked policies shaping low-carbon materials and cross-border flows, it will spotlight where incentives are aligning, where risks remain, and which policy gaps could make or break the scale-up of credible CDR solutions.

• Since the first Carbon Unbound in 2023, what hard lessons has the CDR industry learned about policy signals market design and scale?
• How are today’s federal state and provincial policy frameworks shaping what is viable right now for project developers, buyers and financiers?
• What technical financial and regulatory failures should startups and developers study closely to avoid repeating the same mistakes?
• As North American policy diverges and global initiatives like CDR30 emerge, where is the industry really heading and who is positioned to win?

• How can rapid mitigation of superpollutants like methane and HFCs complement durable carbon removal to deliver real net-zero outcomes?
• What roles do corporate buyers, financiers, and insurers play in balancing near-term emission reductions with long-term removal commitments?
• How should policymakers design incentives and regulations to integrate short-lived climate pollutant strategies with CDR pathways?
• Where are the opportunities for investment and innovation that simultaneously reduce high-impact pollutants and scale permanent carbon removal?

Rev-up your engines! Buyers will be positioned in the breakout room ready to meet suppliers. Suppliers take a seat and have 3/4 minutes before a bell is rung and people move to the next table.

• What regulatory and governance mechanisms are emerging in the Global South that give buyers, investors, and insurers confidence in projects?
• How can capital flows, policy frameworks, and project design unlock high-quality, scalable carbon removal while benefiting local communities?
• Where are the opportunities to align climate ambition with local development, livelihoods, and long-term sustainability?
• Could the Global South leapfrog other regions to become the leading hub for durable carbon removal, and what does that mean for global markets and supply chains?

• Why has the voluntary carbon market struggled to evolve beyond early registry models built simply to get started?
• How can new infrastructure challenge incumbents without destabilising credibility or regulatory acceptance?
• What role should standard bodies, banks custodians and market infrastructure providers play beyond brokers and registries?
• Is the future of carbon markets built around consumption and retirement rather than speculation and resale?

Rev-up your engines! Investors will be positioned in the breakout room ready to meet start-ups. Start-ups take a seat and have 3/4 minutes before a bell is rung and people move to the next table.

• How can portfolios intentionally blend regenerative agriculture, forestry, and engineered removals to balance durability, cost, co-benefits, and risk at scale?
• How should investors, corporates, and project developers balance early investment in high-cost engineered removals with scalable, lower-cost nature-based solutions?
• How can the market avoid overreliance on either nature-based or engineered removals while scaling to meet global net-zero goals?
• Where are the opportunities for co-benefits, risk diversification, and portfolio optimization across the full spectrum of carbon removal solutions?

CDR.fyi, the leading market intelligence platform for carbon removal, will share an update on durable tonnes sold in Q1 2026. The session will also showcase this year’s launch of Portal 2.0, highlighting how AI-enhanced data tools, greater market transparency, and comprehensive reporting are advancing the carbon removal ecosystem and driving measurable impact across durable removal, investment, and market growth.

Attendees are invited to engage in focused, in-depth discussions on the pressing challenges facing carbon dioxide removal development and the rising demand for solutions. The session concludes with participants collaboratively sharing insights and innovative ideas, fostering actionable dialogue that can shape the future of the CDR ecosystem.

• How can carbon removal shift from a compliance tool to a strategic asset within corporate climate and growth strategies?
• How are executive teams prioritising carbon removal alongside abatement investments when capital and timelines are constrained?
• How are CFOs and risk teams evaluating the cost credibility and long term exposure of residual emissions strategies?
• Can tighter integration between climate teams finance procurement and insurers turn climate targets into durable business value?

Project developers step into the spotlight as buyers and investors hear which carbon removal pathways are truly ready to scale.

• How do policymakers define and influence demand for CDR and what’s missing?
• What signals do CDR suppliers need from the market to scale with confidence?
• What’s holding buyers back from committing to long-term CDR offtake, and what would unlock action?
• How can finance help bridge the gap between early demand and large-scale deployment?

Carbon Unbound East Coast is proud to host OpenAir’s global student competition finals. The event will illuminate the next generation of CDR pioneers developing cutting-edge solutions. And the five finalists will present their groundbreaking solutions.

• What does carbon removal need to look like for financiers to view it as investable, bankable and insurable at scale?
• How are tighter capital markets and more rigorous due diligence reshaping which CDR projects actually get funded?
• What role do contracts insurance blended finance and public capital need to play in unlocking first of a kind and early scale projects?
• How far are we really from a world where capital flows into carbon removal as readily as other infrastructure and energy assets?

• Why is philanthropic capital uniquely positioned to fund early stage CDR where commercial and public capital still hesitate?
• Who are the new donors entering carbon removal and how are their expectations reshaping the market?
• How can philanthropy create credible demand signals without distorting price discovery or market integrity?
• Where should philanthropic capital focus to unlock follow on investment and accelerate scale across CDR pathways?

Attendees are invited to engage in focused, in-depth discussions on the pressing challenges facing carbon dioxide removal development and the rising demand for solutions. The session concludes with participants collaboratively sharing insights and innovative ideas, fostering actionable dialogue that can shape the future of the CDR ecosystem.

• How can open-system approaches including Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), marine, and ocean-based carbon removal scale while maintaining robust integrity, MRV, and verification?
• How can developers, corporates, investors, and policymakers collaborate to reduce uncertainty and manage risk in these projects?
• Where are the most promising opportunities to align innovation, co-benefits, and market development in open-system carbon removal?
• What will it take for ERW, and other marine pathways to move from pilots to trusted, large-scale deployment?

How can CDR be integrated with waste management, sustainable agriculture, and renewable energy to deliver multiple co-benefits? This session will showcase technical and operational strategies for turning biomass into scalable carbon removal solutions, while maximizing environmental, social, and economic outcomes. Key examples of collaboration between developers, corporates, and local communities will illustrate the most promising pathways to unlock value from biomass.

• How does pairing data centers with DAC work in practice, and why are their energy and heat profiles unusually well matched?
• How do solid-sorbent DAC systems and policy incentives like 45Q create a near-term, deployable pathway for embedding carbon removal into the digital economy?
• What commercial models could turn data centers into anchor customers or co-located hosts for engineered carbon solutions?
• Could data center clusters evolve into regional decarbonization nodes, supporting wider industrial carbon management beyond the tech sector?

• Why are carbon transactions still structured with delayed payment settlement risk and weak legal linkage?
• How can tying contract ownership transfer and payment together rebuild confidence for buyers and project developers?
• What infrastructure is missing to ensure developers get paid when credits move not months later?
• Could better transaction design unlock scale faster than new methodologies or standards?

Project developers step into the spotlight as buyers and investors hear which carbon removal pathways are truly ready to scale.

• How are companies using mergers, acquisitions, and strategic partnerships to shape the carbon removal sector beyond climate goals?
• What lessons can developers learn from corporates, utilities, and tech players integrating infrastructure and securing long-term removal?
• How is consolidation affecting market dynamics, competition, and innovation in both nature-based and engineered carbon removal?
• Where are the strategic opportunities for collaboration across investors, project developers, and corporates as the CDR market matures?

• How are corporations on the East Coast integrating carbon removal and decarbonization into their supply-chain decisions, from sourcing to production to logistics?
• What opportunities exist for sector intersectionality, e.g., aviation companies exploring SAF, mining firms piloting enhanced rock weathering, and auto manufacturers leveraging low-carbon materials?
• How can companies identify commercially viable pathways that balance emissions reductions, cost, and operational feasibility while working with suppliers and partners?
• What lessons can be learned from regional deployment on the East Coast, and how can local infrastructure, regulatory frameworks, and market opportunities accelerate adoption?