SBTi Case Study Examines Google–Terradot’s Million-Tonne Carbon Removal Strategy

The Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) has published a case study examining Google's approach to addressing ongoing carbon emissions through a combination of methane reduction and durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR). Published on 9 November 2026, the study highlights Google's partnership with carbon removal developer Terradot, which aims to deliver one million tonnes of CO2-equivalent methane mitigation by 2030 and one million tonnes of durable carbon removal by 2040. The project will cover approximately 500,000 acres of rice farmland in Brazil, demonstrating a strategy designed to balance the warming impact of ongoing emissions over different timescales.

The case study introduces Google's application of a concept known as net-zero warming, which combines near-term reductions in short-lived greenhouse gases with permanent carbon removal. The approach is intended to help companies take responsibility for emissions they continue to produce while progressing toward their long-term decarbonization targets. SBTi presents the project as an example of Ongoing Emissions Responsibility (OER), although publication of the case study does not constitute formal endorsement of Google's methodology or its projected outcomes.

 

Google Combines Methane Reduction with Durable Carbon Removal

 

Google's approach addresses the different atmospheric lifetimes of greenhouse gases. Methane has a substantially stronger near-term warming effect than carbon dioxide but remains in the atmosphere for a shorter period. Reducing methane emissions can therefore provide relatively rapid climate benefits, while durable carbon removal is needed to address the long-term warming caused by CO2 emissions that can persist for centuries.

Under the proposed net-zero warming framework, one tonne of methane mitigation measured in CO2 equivalent using a 20-year global warming potential (GWP20) can balance the warming impact of one tonne of CO2 for approximately 12 years. To maintain that balance over the longer term, one tonne of durable carbon removal must be introduced within the same period. This is a modeled temperature-balancing approach, not a claim that methane mitigation physically removes CO2 from the atmosphere.

 

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Brazil Project Targets Two Million Tonnes of Climate Mitigation

 

Google's partnership with Terradot will deploy two complementary approaches across approximately 500,000 acres of Brazilian rice farmland. The first involves Alternate Wetting and Drying (AWD), an agricultural practice that periodically drains flooded rice fields to reduce methane formation in oxygen-poor soils. Through this technique, the project aims to deliver one million tonnes of CO2-equivalent methane mitigation, calculated using GWP20, by 2030.

The second approach uses Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW), which involves spreading finely crushed silicate rock, such as basalt, across agricultural fields. As the minerals react with water and atmospheric CO2, they gradually form dissolved bicarbonate that can store carbon over geological timescales. Terradot aims to remove one million tonnes of CO2 durably by 2040, replacing the temporary warming benefit of methane mitigation. Applying both methods to the same farmland allows methane reductions to deliver near-term benefits while the slower mineralization process develops.

 

Extended Carbon Removal Timelines Could Improve Project Economics

 

The case study also examines how combining methane mitigation with future carbon removal deliveries could reduce the cost of implementing corporate climate strategies. Durable carbon removal technologies often require significant upfront investment, while their environmental benefits can take years to materialize. Google's model allows near-term methane reductions to provide a temporary warming benefit while permanent carbon removal capacity is developed.

According to the case study, allowing carbon removal to be delivered across a 12-year period has substantially reduced projected operational costs for the Terradot partnership, supporting progress towards approximately $100 per tonne. This remains a cost objective rather than a confirmed transaction price. The framework could potentially be replicated using other combinations of short-lived greenhouse gas mitigation and durable removal technologies, including landfill methane capture and biomass-based carbon removal.

 

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SBTi Case Study Highlights Implications for Corporate Net-Zero Strategies

 

The approach is relevant to SBTi's Corporate Net-Zero Standard Version 2.0 framework, which addresses how organizations can take responsibility for ongoing emissions while pursuing direct emissions reductions. The case study references provisions that allow eligible durable carbon removal delivered after 2035 to count toward long-term net-zero targets. Combining mitigation approaches across different delivery periods could help companies structure voluntary climate investments while expanding future carbon removal capacity.

Kate Brandt, Google's Chief Sustainability Officer, said, "Crucially, it allows organizations to balance warming in the near term, while actively supporting the tools the planet needs for the long term." The case study also identifies opportunities for other companies to develop similar portfolios that combine immediate emissions mitigation with contracted, durable carbon removal.

The Google–Terradot partnership provides a commercial example of how companies could finance climate mitigation across different timescales. However, the environmental benefits remain dependent on actual project delivery, credible emissions accounting, and verification of both methane reductions and permanent CO2 removal. The approach remains complementary to direct corporate decarbonization and does not replace the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across operations and value chains.

 

Source: SBTi