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  • Perspective
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Uncertainties of enhanced rock weathering for climate-change mitigation

Nature Reviews Earth & Environment (2026)Cite this article

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Abstract

Enhanced rock weathering (ERW) on agricultural soils is under consideration as a long-term carbon dioxide removal (CDR) strategy. In this Perspective, we evaluate uncertainties related to ERW around feedstock availability, plant–soil system impacts, CDR efficiency along the land–ocean continuum and socio-economic considerations. The composition of (ultra)mafic rocks places constraints on the availability of suitable feedstock when considering their potential for CDR and toxic element contents. For ERW application at scale, dedicated mining for suitable feedstock seems unavoidable. ERW can positively and negatively affect soil structure, hydrology, and overall carbon and nutrient cycles, and so optimal ERW will require site-specific assessment of effective CDR and mitigation of potential negative impacts. Additionally, the fate of weathering products along the land–ocean continuum in rivers remains poorly constrained, which is a challenge for verifying successful CDR. The socio-economic effects and constraints of ERW regarding financing and risk responsibility are also uncertain. Ultimately, large-scale ERW deployment seems limited by substantial challenges throughout its application, from its initial set-up to final CDR. Future research prioritizing site-specific assessments, long-term monitoring along the land–ocean continuum, and system modelling to constrain uncertainties and address socio-economic factors is needed to ensure that ERW deployment is effective, equitable, and sustainable.

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Fig. 1: Global mafic and ultramafic feedstock composition.
Fig. 2: Calcite saturation index for global rivers.
Fig. 3: Constraints on ERW as a climate-change mitigation measure.

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Acknowledgements

X.D., J.D.H., T.S. and S.D. acknowledge funding from an ETH Zurich Collaborative Research Grant. R.G.H. acknowledges funding from the European Commission (ERC Consolidator Grant 101002563, ‘RIV-ESCAPE’).

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Author notes

  1. These authors contributed equally: Sebastian Doetterl, Jordon D. Hemingway.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Thünen-Institute of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Braunschweig, Germany

    Marcus Schiedung & Axel Don

  2. Department of Environmental Systems Science, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Marcus Schiedung, Benjamin Möller & Sebastian Doetterl

  3. Research Centre for Carbon Solutions, Heriot Watt University, Edinburgh, UK

    Kirsty J. Harrington

  4. Smith School for Enterprise and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Kirsty J. Harrington

  5. Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Xavier Dupla, Tim Sweere & Jordon D. Hemingway

  6. Faculty of Science, Petrology and Mineral Resources, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    Benjamin Möller

  7. Flanders Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Merelbeke, Belgium

    Ennio Facq

  8. Department of Earth Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Robert G. Hilton

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Contributions

M.S., K.J.H., X.D., B.M., J.D.H. and E.F. wrote the manuscript. M.S. and B.M. analysed the GEOROC dataset. K.J.H, J.D.H. and M.S. analysed the GLORICH database. M.S. coordinated, revised and finalized the manuscript with the contribution of A.D., R.G.H., S.D. and T.S. The final version of the manuscript was approved by all authors.

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Correspondence to Marcus Schiedung.

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B.M. is an employee of and holds share options in Flux Carbon, a for-profit company developing ERW projects in Africa. There are no elements of this manuscript that have been affected by this employment of B.M. All other authors declare no competing interests or involvement in the used datasets or mentioned organizations.

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Schiedung, M., Harrington, K.J., Dupla, X. et al. Uncertainties of enhanced rock weathering for climate-change mitigation. Nat Rev Earth Environ (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43017-026-00761-7

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