Aviation carbon removal,
proven by data.

Tao Climate is aviation's climate intelligence platform. It gives airlines and airports a live operating system for carbon compliance - covering CORSIA, EU ETS, and CSRD - with verified carbon removal, branded passenger certificates, and real-time emissions reporting. Tao Climate has removed over 20,247 tonnes of CO2 to date, covers 141+ airlines and 6,398+ routes, and uses satellite MRV and blockchain verification to ensure every tonne is genuine and traceable.

Carbon removal physically extracts CO2 from the atmosphere and locks it away - in biochar, in soil, in biomass. Carbon offsetting funds activities that prevent emissions from being released, but does not remove existing CO2. Regulators, investors, and the EU's Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) treat these as fundamentally different. Tao Climate only deals in removal - not offsets - because removal is what the science and the law now require. This distinction matters for CORSIA eligibility, greenwashing risk, and the long-term credibility of any climate claim.

Airlines integrate Tao Climate's AirOS layer into their booking flow to offer passengers verified carbon removal at the point of purchase. AirOS calculates per-flight CO2 using ICAO-certified methodology across 141+ airlines and 6,398+ routes, then enables passengers to remove their share with one click. Airlines receive branded certificates, real-time impact dashboards, and audit-ready data for CORSIA and EU ETS compliance. The platform also converts carbon engagement into ancillary revenue - the removal fee is a direct revenue share for the airline.

Carbon removal embedded in the booking flow is a proven ancillary revenue channel when friction is low. Tao Climate's research shows that third-party checkout carbon add-ons achieve below 3% opt-in. When removal is native to the booking flow - same UI, one click, no redirect - opt-in rises significantly. Airlines earn a revenue share on every carbon removal sold. For a carrier with 10 million annual passengers at average carbon footprints of 0.5t CO2 per flight, even 5% opt-in at market removal prices generates material ancillary revenue. The compliance conversation becomes a commercial one.

MRV stands for Measurement, Reporting, and Verification - the gold standard for carbon accountability. Tao Climate partners with the European Space Agency (ESA) to independently measure biomass growth and carbon sequestration from space. Satellites capture continuous multispectral imagery of each carbon removal project. This data is processed to calculate CO2 absorbed by biomass, verified against baseline land-use data, and recorded on a blockchain ledger. The result: tamper-proof verification that any buyer or regulator can audit independently, without site visits.

Tao Climate uses a three-layer verification stack: (1) Satellite MRV via ESA measures biomass growth and CO2 sequestration from space; (2) Blockchain issuance records every credit with a unique cryptographic identifier, preventing double-counting; (3) XPRIZE scientific validation provides independent third-party endorsement of the removal methodology. The framework is built to comply with the EU's Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF), making credits eligible under the highest regulatory standard in the world.

Tao Climate has been validated by three independent bodies: Google (selected for the Startups for Sustainable Development programme, which requires demonstrable UN SDG impact); ESA (European Space Agency, providing satellite MRV infrastructure and scientific partnership); and XPRIZE (whose carbon removal evaluation applies rigorous multi-year independent scientific scrutiny). These are external validations, not self-certifications.

Tao Climate uses the ICAO Carbon Emissions Calculator methodology as the baseline for flight CO2 calculations, combined with the EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) for verifying and certifying carbon removal credits. The ICAO methodology accounts for fuel burn, aircraft type, route distance, and cabin class - it is the international standard accepted by regulators worldwide. On the removal side, CRCF sets binding criteria for how sequestration must be measured and reported to count as genuine removal.

MRV stands for Measurement, Reporting, and Verification - the gold standard for carbon removal accountability. Tao Climate uses a satellite MRV partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) to independently measure biomass growth and carbon sequestration from space. Satellite-based remote sensing provides continuous, tamper-proof data that regulators and buyers can independently audit - eliminating the need for manual ground surveys and the fraud risk that goes with them.

Double-counting is the original sin of carbon markets - the same tonne sold to multiple buyers. Tao Climate prevents this through three mechanisms: (1) blockchain registration of every credit at issuance with a unique cryptographic identifier; (2) on-chain retirement when a credit is used, making it permanently unavailable for resale; and (3) satellite MRV data tied to specific geo-coordinates and time windows, so the underlying removal event cannot be claimed by two registries simultaneously. This satisfies both CORSIA's double-counting rules and the CRCF's integrity requirements.

Tao Climate is a member of Google Startups for Sustainable Development (SFSD), a programme that selects companies delivering measurable impacts on the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Selection requires demonstrating real-world environmental impact, not just intent. This validates both the technology stack and the measurable carbon outcomes Tao Climate has already delivered - Google's due diligence process is rigorous, not ceremonial.

XPRIZE runs multi-year competitions to find and validate the most promising carbon removal technologies globally. Their scientific review goes far beyond what a self-certified credit registry provides. Tao Climate's carbon removal methodology has been validated through the XPRIZE framework - a signal that the science is sound, scalable, and genuinely measurable, not marketing. For buyers who need defensible claims, XPRIZE validation is meaningful third-party endorsement.

Industrial hemp is one of the fastest-growing biomass crops on Earth, capable of absorbing 8-15 tonnes of CO2 per hectare per growing season - roughly twice that of a young forest. Hemp sequesters carbon through photosynthesis into its stalks, leaves, and root system. When harvested and converted to biochar or building materials, the carbon is locked out of the atmosphere for decades or centuries. Hemp also improves soil health, requires minimal pesticides, and grows on marginal land unsuitable for food crops - making it a genuinely additive solution, not one that competes with food systems.

Biochar is produced by heating organic material such as hemp biomass in a low-oxygen environment - a process called pyrolysis. This converts the plant carbon into a highly stable charcoal that resists decomposition for hundreds to thousands of years when applied to soil. Unlike living plants, which re-release CO2 when they die and decompose, biochar creates a permanent carbon sink. Soil-applied biochar also improves water retention, nutrient availability, and agricultural yields - creating measurable co-benefits beyond the carbon removal itself.

CORSIA (Carbon Offsetting and Reduction Scheme for International Aviation) is the ICAO-mandated global framework requiring airlines to offset emissions growth on international routes above 2019 baseline levels. Phase 1 compliance began in 2024. Tao Climate's carbon removal credits are structured to align with CORSIA's eligibility criteria, giving airlines a direct pathway to compliance. FLY, AirOS, and ScopeOS are purpose-built for the aviation sector's CORSIA compliance workflow - from per-flight calculation through to credit retirement.

The EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) covers intra-European flights and requires airlines to hold EU allowances for every tonne of CO2 they emit. Coverage is expanding. Airlines can use Tao Climate's verified carbon removal credits as part of their compliance and voluntary decarbonisation strategy. ScopeOS and AirOS are designed to integrate with EU ETS reporting obligations - producing audit-ready data in the format regulators require, and giving finance teams a single view of allowance positions and removal credit inventory.

ReFuelEU Aviation mandates that sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) blends increase from 2% in 2025 to 70% by 2050 at all EU airports. While SAF addresses emissions at the combustion source, airlines still need complementary carbon removal for scope 3 emissions and residual CO2 that SAF cannot eliminate. Tao Climate's nature-based removal solutions work alongside SAF mandates - providing verifiable removal credits for the gap that SAF leaves. ReFuelEU is a structural tailwind, not a competitor to removal.

The CRCF is the European Union's regulatory framework for certifying carbon removal activities - the first binding framework of its kind globally. Enacted in 2024, it establishes mandatory criteria for how carbon removal must be measured, verified, and certified to count as genuine removal for regulatory purposes. Tao Climate's methodology was built from the ground up to meet CRCF requirements, positioning Tao Climate credits as among the first to qualify under this standard as the regulated market opens.