Back to Nature or Technology to the Rescue? Climate Managers' Preferences for Investment in Carbon Dioxide Removal

[Geoengineering News]

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/bse.70715

Authors: Sabrina Mili, Robert Mai, Rolf Wüstenhagen, Moritz Loock

First published: 05 March 2026

https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.70715

Abstract

Firms are increasingly looking into carbon dioxide removal (CDR), a set of options to take past emissions of greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. Often two basic categories of CDR are distinguished: nature-based solutions, such as planting trees or restoring wetlands, and technology-based solutions, such as various forms of carbon capture and storage. What drives managers' decisions to purchase a particular CDR credit? A choice experiment with N = 378 climate managers in three European countries conducting 4158 experimental choices explores factors determining their procurement. Results show that, on average, respondents prefer nature-based solutions over technology-based climate solutions. Furthermore, we identify a moderating influence of decision styles: The preference for nature-based solutions is more pronounced among managers who adopt a more holistic decision style, whereas managers who focus on a single attribute are relatively more likely to prefer technological solutions. Our findings have important implications for further research on the determinants of climate-related managerial decision making.

Source: Wiley Online Library