A new initiative provides expertise and resources for Tribes to explore their options in carbon removal, a form of pollution cleanup that complements emission reduction. The initiative, known as Supporting Tribal Sovereignty in Carbon Removal, is a joint effort of Global Ocean Health’s Partnerships for Tribal Carbon Solutions, the Indigenous Greenhouse Gas Removal Commission (IGGRC), the Carbon Business Council, and the Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal at American University.

The joint effort brings together nonprofits, researchers, and Tribal staff and leaders to foster dialogue, knowledge sharing, and responsible practices in the growing field of carbon dioxide removal. A central aim is to amplify Tribal capacity to shape this rapidly evolving field so that projects protect—and even advance—Tribes’ environmental, cultural and economic priorities. The initiative is focused on a diversity of carbon removal pathways, including novel and conventional approaches to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.

Upcoming activities include convening educational sessions and meetings between Tribes and carbon removal collaborators, co-developing tools for evaluating deployment scenarios, preparing recommendations for permitting on Tribal lands, and co-creating an open-source model for community benefit agreements and community-based planning.

The tools, resources, and recommendations produced through this initiative are being co-designed with Tribal participants. These resources are offered to support informed decision-making and to support Tribes in navigating this evolving field on their own terms. Partners in the initiative invite Tribal guidance and participation on an ongoing basis: any feedback can be shared online.

The U.S. is home to 574 federally recognized Tribes, each with unique histories, cultures, and relationships to their lands. Many are on the front lines of climate change, experiencing its disproportionate impacts. The initiative ensures that interested Tribes have access to information and resources to make informed decisions about carbon removal, whether or not they choose to participate in the sector’s development..

A key advisor of this work is the Indigenous Greenhouse Gas Removal Commission (IGGRC). IGGRC is a consortium of federally recognized Tribal governments, dedicated to ensuring Indigenous perspectives are integral to policy and practice that shape this industry, exercising sovereign decision-making to uphold cultural and environmental values.

The Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal, a research institute at American University dedicated to the promotion of ethical, just and responsible approaches to scaling carbon dioxide removal approaches, will also advise on this effort, particularly around legal and social aspects of the project, including the scaffolding of community engagement efforts and governance protocols.

As the world grapples with climate change, carbon removal is recognized by scientists worldwide as an essential complement to emissions reduction. It amounts to a mop for cleaning up the main greenhouse gas already spilled into the atmosphere, while work continues to tighten the spigot on ongoing emissions. As it scales up, carbon removal will present both risks and opportunities. With responsible deployment, carbon removal could present several co-benefits for Indigenous communities, from economic growth to transforming wastes into useful materials, supporting “land-back” initiatives, and helping to pay for ecosystem stewardship and clean-energy projects.

Tribal elders and leaders asked Global Ocean Health to help accelerate Indigenous capacity to meet that challenge, spurring the creation of the IGGRC and the GOH program Partnerships for Tribal Carbon Solutions. The partners leading the initiative have been collaborating on responsible carbon removal deployment for several years, including the launch of the Carbon Dioxide Removal Responsible Deployment Training, an introductory online training source for project developers and set of resources about community engagement. In 2024, alliance members convened a symposium in Seattle to discuss the responsible deployment of carbon removal in the Pacific Northwest, including on Tribal lands.

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Partners and advisors in this initiative offered the following comments:

“Tribes are uniquely positioned to lead carbon removal efforts and chart pathways for responsible deployment,” said Francesca Hillery, at Partnerships for Tribal Carbon Solutions. “With sovereignty for land use and permitting, we’re going to see innovative development of carbon removal on Tribal lands in 2025 beyond. As this development takes place, our alliance will work with Tribes as industry shapers and co-developers along with carbon removal companies to maximize benefits and minimize risks in Tribal communities.”

“Tribes have endured harm and unfulfilled promises from project developers in the past. The focus is on responsibly deploying carbon removal while also positioning interested Tribes as leaders in the field. In the process, we can distill lessons learned that can also be applicable for governments, civil society, and project developers grappling with frameworks for ensuring robust permitting, environmental guardrails, and community benefits for carbon removal,” said Fawn Sharp, Chair of the Indigenous Greenhouse Gas Removal Commission.

“Trust and relationship building is an integral aspect of carbon removal deployment. We’re collaborating with Tribal communities who are interested in driving economic opportunities and participating in efforts to remove carbon from the atmosphere. We’re also collaborating with carbon removal companies who are scouting for project locations and identifying where they can be the best community partner. The Supporting Tribal Sovereignty in Carbon Removal initiative is focused on facilitating meaningful dialogue and providing resources,” said Ben Rubin, Executive Director of the Carbon Business Council.

“Collaborating to support tribal co-management authority in carbon removal is analogous to an oil spill response plan: Carbon removal is really just a tool for cleanup, like we have for other kinds of pollution,” said Micah McCarty, former chairman of Makah Tribe and senior advisor to Partnerships for Tribal Carbon Solutions. “It’s also a treaty trust responsibility. Tribes and all US citizens share an in-common beneficiary relationship as users and co-managers of the treaty resources. We share a duty to protect the waters and habitats that support our fish, wildlife, and other resources.”

“The Institute’s focus is on ensuring that the carbon dioxide removal sector is developed ‘responsibly.’ This is a particularly weighty consideration in the context of tribes, which have historically borne much of the brunt of irresponsible development of energy systems in the United States. We are excited about working with our partners to help stand up carbon removal in a manner that both affords tribes economic opportunities, but also protects core,” said Wil Burns, Co-Director, Institute for Responsible Carbon Removal, American University.

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Partnerships for Tribal Carbon Solutions (PTCS) is the largest program of the nonprofit organization Global Ocean Health. Created at the request of Tribal elders and leaders to help build Tribal capacity in this sector, the program also serves as a nonprofit launchpad for the Indigenous Greenhouse Gas Removal Commission. PTCS supports Tribes with research, education, network development, and strategic collaborations.

Indigenous Greenhouse Gas Removal Commission (IGGRC) is a consortium of Tribal governments that serves as a collaborative hub for Tribes to assess, develop, and govern carbon removal approaches of their own choosing.

Carbon Business Council, a member-driven and tech-neutral coalition of companies unified to responsibly restore the climate, is the preeminent industry voice for carbon removal innovators. Together, the nonprofit coalition represents more than 100 companies across six continents with more than $16.5 billion in combined assets.