The CDR Policy Scoop

Germany is emerging as one of Europe’s most active carbon removal markets - with new public funding, a growing startup ecosystem, and heavy industry exploring large-scale CDR. But can policy, infrastructure, and demand keep pace with ambition?In this special episode, Sebastian Manhart shares insights from a two-day CDR experience tour across Germany, featuring conversations with policymakers, researchers, startups, and industry leaders. The episode explores Germany’s carbon removal potential, the key barriers to scale, and what governments can do now to de-risk projects and unlock investment.From public procurement and contracts for difference to compliance markets and infrastructure, this episode looks ahead to where Germany’s CDR strategy is heading in 2026 and beyond.Links:Eve Tamme:  LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and Website Oscar Schily: LinkedInTank Chen: LinkedInTony Oehm: LinkedInFlorian Hildebrand: LinkedInManuel Wessel: LinkedInStefan Schlosser: LinkedIn Saskia Kühnhold-Popischil: LinkedInJulian Joswig: LinkedInSascha van Beek: LinkedInDVNE Experience TourCarbon Gap: Germany Carbon Removal Readiness Assessment (report) - to be released; launch event hereEU ETSGerman Federal Government – Carbon Management Strategy (CO₂ transport & storage framework

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme sit down for a second time with Alexia Kelly, Managing Director of the Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative at the High Tide Foundation, to unpack today’s messy carbon market governance landscape and what it really means for carbon removal.Over the past few years, carbon markets have been flooded with new initiatives, standards, and coalitions, most of them aimed at the supply side. The result: overlapping frameworks, lots of noise, and real confusion for buyers and CDR actors trying to understand what actually matters, while demand stubbornly lags behind.This episode explores which pieces of the governance architecture are genuinely useful (think ICVCM, VCMI, SBTi and more), where they are falling short, and how this affects the future of carbon removals. We also ask what it would take to move from proliferation to coherence, and why the next few years could be make‑or‑break for building carbon markets that are both high‑integrity and fit to finance CDR at scale.Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteAlexia Kelly: LinkedIn

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Amir Lebdioui, Director of the TIDE Centre at the University of Oxford, to explore whether durable carbon dioxide removal can become a credible green industrialisation pathway for the Global South.Recorded on January 19, the conversation builds on a recent working paper authored by Sebastian Manhart and Raphael Cario in collaboration with the TIDE Centre examining how carbon removal could move beyond a niche climate instrument and instead support jobs, exports, and long-term economic development in developing economies. Amir explains why environmental policy alone often fails, and why climate action must be embedded in green industrial policy to deliver real livelihoods and political durability.The episode dives into the concept of green windows of opportunity, what Global South countries can learn from past green industrialisation efforts, and how CDR differs from earlier sectors like renewables or green hydrogen. The discussion also tackles key risks, including extractive development models, over-reliance on imported technology, and dependence on a narrow set of buyers in the Global North.Together, the hosts unpack what it would actually take for CDR to support local value creation—from capability building and regulation to demand creation and export strategy—and why getting this right matters not just for climate outcomes, but for development, equity, and long-term political support for climate action.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteAmir Lebdioui: LinkedInOxford Tide Center: WebsiteOxford Tide Center Working Paper: Overlooked Industrialisation Opportunity: How the Global South can Leverage CDR[Re]Moving on Up—Can developing countries be a powerhouse for contributing engineered removals towards net zero goals?

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Sophie Wenger, Climate Policy Officer at the Federal Office for the Environment, for a deep dive into Switzerland’s approach to scaling carbon capture and removal.Recorded on January 12, the conversation explores how Switzerland is developing a holistic strategy for CCS and CDR, with a strong focus on CO₂ transport infrastructure as the key enabler for scale. Sophie explains why transport is often the missing link in national CDR strategies and why getting regulation right is both technically and politically challenging.The episode also unpacks the main regulatory sticking points around CO₂ transport in Switzerland, what lessons other countries can draw from the Swiss experience, and how infrastructure planning, cross-border cooperation, and long-term climate targets need to align to unlock durable removals at scale.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteSophie Wenger: LinkedInSwiss legal framework for CCS/CDRCarbonfuture Switzerland CDR Policy Brief

What is The CDR Policy Scoop really about and how did it come to be?In this special episode, the microphones are turned around. Producer Helen Lundebye steps out from behind the scenes and interviews co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart about the origins, evolution, and future of The Scoop.The conversation traces the show’s beginnings: from informal conversations and early LinkedIn Lives to more than 50 episodes covering carbon removal policy across jurisdictions. Eve and Sebastian reflect on why they deliberately chose an unscripted, conversational format, their shared frustration with traditional webinars, and the idea of “just showing up” as the core DNA of the show.They also unpack how their different backgrounds shape the discussions: Eve’s long-standing expertise in carbon markets and EU policy design, and Sebastian’s focus on country-level developments, data, and system-building. Together, these perspectives have shaped a niche but influential platform aimed squarely at policymakers and those working closely with them.Finally, the conversation looks ahead: new formats, new platforms, more experimentation, and a clear ambition to bring even more policymakers directly into the conversation.A candid, reflective episode about building trust, depth, and continuity in climate policy conversations and the people behind The Scoop who make it happen.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteHelen Lundebye: LinkedIn

Everyone agrees that the next phase of carbon removal will be shaped by policy, but which decisions will actually matter in 2026?Recorded in mid-December 2025, this forward-looking episode sees Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart each bring their top policy developments to watch in the year ahead.The discussion spans EU-level milestones like ETS integration and CRCF certification, country-level signals such as public procurement of removals, and broader governance questions around international credits, infrastructure, and buyer confidence.What will send credible signals to investors? Where are expectations misaligned? And which developments are likely to shape demand, even before they formally come into force?A sharp, nuanced outlook on why 2026 may be a pivotal year for carbon removal policy  and where the real uncertainty still lies.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and Website

2025 was a year of real progress for carbon removal, but also one that exposed the limits of existing frameworks.In this end-of-year retrospective, Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart look back at the policy moments that most shaped carbon removal over the past twelve months. Each brings their own highs and lows to the table, reflecting different lenses on EU, international, and national developments.From the EU’s 2040 target and CRCF progress, to setbacks around voluntary initiatives, green claims, and US climate policy. The episode unpacks what moved the field forward, what disappointed, and what lessons should carry into 2026.A clear-eyed assessment of a mixed but ultimately forward-moving year for CDR policy and why the foundations laid in 2025 will matter well beyond it.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and Website

Everyone agrees that carbon removal needs more buyers - but what will actually make that happen?At Carbon Unbound Europe (21–22 October), co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart took the conversation offline and recorded a special set of in-person interviews exploring how buyers see the evolving CDR policy and market landscape.What’s working? Where are the challenges? And what do today’s buyers really want from policymakers?Tune in for candid insights and fresh perspectives from the people shaping demand for carbon removal.Guests for the episode include:Robert Höglund, Co-Founder of CDR.fyi and Manager of the Milkywire Climate Transformation FundLamé Verre, Director, Net Zero, The Crown EstateChis Minter, Head of Supply Chain Sustainability, Zurich Insurance GroupAdina Braha-Honciuc, Environmental Sustainability Policy Director, Schneider ElectricLinks:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteRobert Höglund: LinkedIn, Website and CDR.fyiLamé Verre: LinkedIn and The Crown EstateChris Minter: LinkedIn and Zurich Insurance GroupAdina Braha-Honciuc: LinkedIn and Schneider Electric