The CDR Policy Scoop

A day after the European Commission published its legislative proposal for the EU’s 2040 climate target, Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart sat down for a timely session to analyse the proposal.Although the expected 90% net reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 (compared to 1990 levels) is the headline target, several key elements in the proposal have elicited strong reactions among stakeholders.And what does it all mean for carbon removal?The CDR Policy Scoop co-hosts cut through the noise and analyse how the proposal could evolve during the upcoming negotiations.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteEU 2040 climate target proposalEve’s LinkedIn post on the EU’s 2040 climate target proposalEU climate chief lobbied Germany to back weakened 2040 goalThe EU’s 2040 Climate Target — context, scope and designWill the Carbon Removal Certification Framework count in the race to climate neutrality?Wijnand Stoefs (Carbon Market Watch) highly critical post on the proposal

This gets to the core of the carbon market debate.Reductions, including avoidance credits, currently account for over 95% of credits in the VCM. Meanwhile, removal credits are rapidly gaining momentum, with $6.5B in purchases to date, outpacing the growth of all other credit types.In the Reductions corner, no less than Renat Heuberger, CEO at Terra Impact Ventures and Founder / former CEO at South Pole, who has been at the forefront of the VCM for nearly two decades.In the Removals corner, the one and only Marta Krupinska, CEO at CUR8, and tireless champion for permanent carbon removals. From afforestation to biochar to DAC, Marta is leading the charge for all of CDR every day.The debate is expertly moderated by our co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme, who will ensure its punchy, informative, and fair. Disclaimer: This is intended to inform and engage, not divide. Both debaters agree: we need both reductions and removals to tackle the climate crisis.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteRenat Heuberger: LinkedIn, Terra Impact VenturesMarta Krupinska: LinkedIn, CUR8

One of the world's first regulations to fight corporate greenwashing is on the final stretch. Or is it?The final trilogue, the negotiations between the three EU institutions, was pushed back to June 23rd but was ultimately cancelled. A push by the German government and the conservative EPP group in Parliament has led the policy process off the rails, with the European Commission considering withdrawing its proposal.Critics of the GCD highlight the increased complexity and costs for industry, which is already struggling across Europe. Proponents see it as an essential tool to help ensure companies back up environmental claims with scientifically sound measures.And what about CDR? If passed, the GCD could make the use of carbon removal a requirement, leading to significant demand.Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart will be joined by Elisabeth Harding, one of Brussels' finest CDR policy experts, to discuss the latest developments and next steps.Show notes:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteElisabeth Harding: LinkedInGreen Claims Directive proposalEU Commission announces withdrawal of Green Claims DirectiveWhy a little greenwashing law set off a political explosion in Brussels

Should the VCM shape or follow government policy?The Voluntary Carbon Market is at a crossroads as governments ramp up climate ambition and explore carbon markets.What would a genuine alignment between VCM and government policy look like? What are the risks and opportunities? How can the VCM support both national and global net-zero goals? To help us dig into these questions and more, we’re thrilled to welcome a leading voice in carbon markets and climate policy, Alexia Kelly from High Tide Foundation.Join as co-hosts Eve Tamme, Sebastian Manhart, and Alexia Kelly unpack the latest developments and spotlight some of the big questions. This is a discussion policymakers, market participants, and climate advocates won’t want to miss.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteAlexia Kelly: LinkedInThe Integrity Council for the Voluntary Carbon Market (ICVCM)

The Paris Agreement's carbon markets could be worth up to $250 billion annually and reduce or remove gigatons of CO2.But how do we operationalise it? How can countries start trading durable removals under the Paris Agreement’s Article 6.2 mechanism?Norway and Switzerland have just agreed on the first durable removals transaction under this framework. For their pilots, planned to be executed pre-2030, they aim to transfer up to 10 Kt of BECCS from Norway and up to 1 Kt of mineralised CO2 from Switzerland.Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart are joined by the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment FOEN’s Veronika Elgart, one of the leading forces behind this agreement. Together, they discuss how this agreement came about, what exactly is planned, and what this could mean for scaling up the international carbon markets more broadly.Show notes:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteVeronika Elgart: LinkedInAgreement between Norway and Switzerland on International CCS and NETPress releases: Norway-Switzerland, Switzerland, ClimeFi, Carbon Centric

A European CDR Purchasing Programme for Permanent Carbon Removal?Sounds too good to be true? Well, it may become a reality soon.On May 21st, the European Commission held a dedicated workshop on “A Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal Credits”.As stated in its own excellent pre-read, Europe will need to fund CDR with up to €6 billion by 2030 to achieve its indicative target of 5 Mt/year.But where should this money come from? How should a purchasing programme be designed? And should it fund specific CDR technologies or take a broad portfolio approach?These are just some of the many fascinating questions that were tackled in the workshop. Tune in for this CDR Policy Scoop, where Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart will analyse everything that happened and discuss the most important takeaways for you.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteThe workshop pre-read by Ecologic InstituteWorkshop presentation and recordingBlog by Robert Höglund and Aidan Preston

Many projects want to blend public funding with revenue from voluntary carbon markets as carbon removal scales up.Meanwhile, governments have different approaches to it. And sceptics keep questioning whether it makes sense in the first place - what about additionality, corresponding adjustments, and real climate impact?We’re excited to welcome Erik Rylander, the Head of CDR at Stockholm Exergi, to share his immense experience in innovative funding for their successful BECCS project. We will dig into the real-world lessons from Stockholm Exergi’s journey and explore what policymakers and project developers need to know to make this approach work.Erik joins CDR Policy Scoop co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart for an insightful and frank conversation on this controversial topic.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteErik Rylander: LinkedInBeccs StockholmCDR Accounting: Transparently structuring corporate claims to reconcile with national goalsWhen do sales of carbon removal credits benefit climate?Financing Engineered Carbon Removal — Combining Public Funding with Voluntary Carbon Markets

Against all odds, the Liberal Party just won the Canadian general elections. Mark Carney’s party explicitly campaigned to turn Canada into a global leader in carbon dioxide removal.Canada plans to do so by - among other things - extending its investment tax credit to 2035, supporting a broad range of CDR tech, and introducing dedicated CDR targets for 2035 and 2040.This all sounds incredibly promising. But will Canada be able to realise this ambition?No better person to answer this question than Na'im Merchant, Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, an organisation that has been instrumental in raising the profile of CDR in Canada over the last two years.Na’im joins co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme for a fast-paced, 30-minute session that gets right to the heart of the debate.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteNa’im Merchant: LinkedInCanada: a safe haven for carbon removal innovation in an uncertain worldCarbon Removal CanadaCarbon CurveFrom ministers to mandate letters — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first 100 days in office matters to carbon removal

It's out: the European Commission published a consultation to gather feedback on what the world's largest emission trading system - the EU ETS - should look like after 2031.For carbon removals, integration into the EU ETS represents one of the most promising paths to predictable demand at scale. Whether and how that will happen is still up for debate.A unique opportunity to get involved with such a crucial legislative process from the get-go.Join Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart for a punchy 30-min discussion that dives into the consultation, its implications, and what a potential call to action for the CDR industry could look like.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteEU ETS consultation