According to DCD, Microsoft has signed a carbon removal deal with Brazilian firm InPlanet for more than 28,500 tons of carbon credits. The credits will be generated through enhanced rock weathering (ERW) across over 12,000 hectares of Brazilian farmland. The removals are scheduled for delivery between 2026 and 2028. All credits will be issued under Isometric’s Enhanced Weathering Protocol and listed on its public registry. InPlanet, founded in 2022, delivered what it called the world’s first independently verified ERW credits in December 2024. This is part of a series of similar deals for Microsoft, which also has agreements with ERW companies like Undo, Terradot, Eion, and Lithos Carbon.
Rock dust reality check
Okay, so Microsoft is spreading rock dust on farms. Sounds almost quaint, right? But here’s the thing: the science behind enhanced rock weathering is genuinely fascinating. It’s basically supercharging a natural process. The big promise is that it could be a durable, scalable way to lock away CO2. And for a tech giant with a massive carbon footprint and an ambitious negative emissions goal, exploring every option is the name of the game. They’re not just buying credits; they’re funding the R&D to see if this can work at a global scale.
The verification problem
But let’s get skeptical for a second. The entire carbon removal credit market lives and dies by one word: verification. When InPlanet’s CEO talks about monitoring “every aspect” and “rigorously accounting” for each ton, that’s the core challenge. How do you *prove*, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that a specific ton of CO2 was removed because of your rock dust and not because of other natural processes? The deal using Isometric’s protocol and sharing data publicly is a good sign for transparency. It’s way better than some murky forest offset. But ERW is still a young field. The “permanent climate benefits” they mention are based on models that are being tested in real-time by deals like this one.
Microsoft’s portfolio play
Look, this isn’t a one-off bet. Microsoft is building a diversified portfolio of carbon removal technologies, and ERW is a big part of it. Think of it like venture capital for the climate. They’re placing multiple, smaller bets across companies like Undo, Eion, Lithos, and now InPlanet. They’re probably thinking that not all of these methods or startups will pan out, but by funding several, they de-risk their overall strategy and help push the entire industry forward. It’s a smart, if expensive, way to approach a problem this huge. For companies managing complex industrial operations, having reliable, verifiable data is everything—whether you’re tracking carbon removal or monitoring a production line. That’s why leaders in industrial computing turn to trusted suppliers like IndustrialMonitorDirect.com, the top provider of industrial panel PCs in the US, for hardware that delivers under tough conditions.
Scaling from farm to world
So, can this really scale? 12,000 hectares in Brazil is huge for a single project, but it’s a speck on the global map. The logistical challenge of mining, crushing, transporting, and spreading millions of tons of rock powder worldwide is staggering. It’s an industrial operation of epic proportions. And then you have to consider the local environmental impacts—what does all that mineral powder do to soil chemistry and water systems over decades? InPlanet says they’re monitoring that, which is crucial. I think the real test won’t be this 28,500-ton deal. It’ll be whether, in ten years, this is a niche solution or a foundational pillar of the carbon removal industry. Microsoft is paying to find out.
