INTEL: Carbon Sequestration Economics & Historical Precedent Global carbon removal markets remain severely undercapitalized despite technological maturity. Direct air capture (DAC) facilities currently operate at ~10,000 tons CO2/year capacity globally—requiring 100-1,000x scaling to meet 2050 climate commitments. Historical parallel: early solar PV required $100+/watt in 1980; today ~$1/watt through manufacturing scale and policy support. The $600B annual gap between current carbon removal spending ($2B) and needed investment signals market failure requiring policy mechanisms (carbon pricing floors, long-term contracts, tax incentives) similar to renewable energy's scaling trajectory of the 1990s-2010s. Why this matters: Without carbon removal at scale, even aggressive emissions cuts leave atmospheric CO2 stabilization impossible; the economics are solvable but require structural policy intervention, not market forces alone.