The business of carbon, sketched from the shore.
carbon solutions // hand-drawnThe global carbon market surpassed $900 billion in annual trading volume. Behind the numbers are real systems: forests that absorb CO2, technologies that capture it, and markets that price the right to emit it. tanso.biz maps the business of carbon from molecule to market.
One carbon credit represents one tonne of CO2 equivalent removed from or prevented from entering the atmosphere. Companies purchase credits to offset their emissions, channeling money toward projects that reduce greenhouse gases -- from reforestation to renewable energy to methane capture.
Direct air capture and point-source technologies removing CO2 at scale.
Forests, wetlands, and soil -- nature's own carbon sequestration infrastructure.
Trading platforms and pricing mechanisms that turn carbon reduction into economic signals.
Verification, reporting, and transparency in carbon accounting and offset quality.
Humanity emits roughly 37 billion tonnes of CO2 annually. The voluntary carbon market offset roughly 200 million tonnes in 2023. Closing this gap requires not just scaling existing solutions but inventing new ones -- and building the business infrastructure to deploy them at planetary scale.
37 Gt CO2 / year emitted ~0.2 Gt / year offsetThe carbon economy is not just about reduction -- it is about transformation. Carbon-negative materials, biochar soil amendments, enhanced weathering, ocean alkalinity enhancement. Each represents a business opportunity built on the principle that carbon management can be both profitable and planetary.
the circuit runs from problem to solution