Towards 2040 and beyond: The role of carbon removals in the EU climate framework

As a supplement to fast, deep and sustained emissions reductions, carbon removals will be needed to balance out the emissions that society deems vital and hard to abate, and to lower historical greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere. The European Climate Law requires the EU to reach climate neutrality by 2050, by balancing emissions with removals by that time, but lacks clarity on the different roles biogenic sequestration and permanent removals will play towards achieving that target.

Except for the LULUCF Regulation, which has set net targets for carbon sequestration in the land sector until 2030, there is currently no policy in place that details the potential benefits and trade-offs of carbon removal or sequestration.

As the EU sets, and prepares to implement, its 2040 climate target, a coalition of stakeholders from academia, civil society and the private sector presents workable and implementable proposals to improve EU governance of carbon removals in a way that respects climate and biodiversity objectives.

Find the whole agenda here.