Carbon Business Council Statement on Market Developments in Carbon Removal Demand

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: April 11, 2026

Microsoft has been a market leader in scaling carbon removal. Microsoft has clarified that their carbon removal programing is not ending, but media reports indicate that the company is temporarily pausing the purchase of new carbon removals. The following statement can be attributed to Ben Rubin, Executive Director of the Carbon Business Council, a global coalition of more than 100 carbon management organizations.

“Microsoft has been foundational in scaling the carbon removal industry, both by demonstrating a thoughtful, science-based approach to building a diversified portfolio of solutions and by creating the early demand signals needed to help these solutions grow. No forward action will erase that impact. While Microsoft’s potential purchasing pause reflects an evolution in the market, the foundation it helped establish has enabled the carbon removal industry to grow beyond any single buyer into a market supported by a broader set of actors.

As the market matures and climate target deadlines approach, an increasing number of companies are incorporating carbon removal into their financial and climate strategies.At the same time, governments around the world are reinforcing demand through policy frameworks, from procurement programs in Canada to the European Emissions Trading System to California’s compliance markets and cap-and-trade rulemaking.

The continued growth of the carbon removal market is critical to achieving global climate goals and will require sustained engagement from both existing and new buyers to build on the example Microsoft helped set and support the scale needed in the years ahead.”

The next phase of this market will be defined not by any single announcement, but by the expansion of policy-backed demand and diversified commercial adoption globally. The Carbon Business Council will be releasing survey results next month with findings about corporate opportunities and barriers to purchasing carbon removal. 

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The Carbon Business Council (CO2BC) is a coalition representing more than 100 carbon management companies across all major pathways who are united to build a more prosperous planet. Our coalition accelerates market development across sectors and continents through ecosystem building, policy engagement, and public affairs.