The formation of the CRWG was sparked by the idea that environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) need to play a guiding role in the thorough and informed societal assessment of the potential role of carbon removal in a strategic climate policy portfolio.

The Institute for Carbon Removal Law and Policy has launched an initiative to guide and sustain a dialogue within the US environmental and social justice communities about the potential roles of carbon removal in the context of broader climate response and to assist NGOs with the establishment of a technically sophisticated, values-driven framework to assess individual technological proposals.

This NGO engagement initiative began with a high-level meeting of US NGO representatives on September 6–8, 2018, at the Wingspread Conference Center in Racine, Wisconsin. The purpose of the meeting was to explore how the US environmental NGO community can engage with the rapidly evolving carbon removal conversation. The objectives of the meeting were to:

1. Clarify, through expert presentations and discussion among participants, the implications of the 1.5ºC Paris target.
2. Begin identification of common approaches and metrics to assess carbon removal technologies.
3. Establish an ongoing network and conversation, with the intent of expanding the group into a standing community of engagement.