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๐ Where EU CDR policy actually stands right now
๐ช๐บ Just wrapped up a week of meetings and events across European institutions. Here are my hot takes on the TOP FIVE policy files for CDR: ๐ญ ETS: CDR integration is a given at this point, DACCS/BECCS only (initially) as well. The focus is shifting to other questions: within or on top of the cap? International credits Y/N? And - this is a big one - will there be specific quantities/volumes or will the Commission kick the can down the road? ๐ฏ National CDR targets: We fail
Jun 4


๐ช๐บ Canโt get enough of EU CDR policy these days
โ๏ธ After the buzz of the CRCF Days, I am heading back to Brussels. ๐ On June 2nd, I will be joining my colleagues from the The Global South Carbon Dioxide Removal Coalition (GS CDR) for meetings around town to discuss the role of CDR in Europeโs international credits ambitions. ๐ณ๏ธ On June 3rd, the Negative Emissions Platform (NEP) is hosting its annual general assembly where I am running for another three year term on its board. ๐ฌ On June 4th, NEP is organising its annual
May 27


๐ช๐บ Does the EU Buyers Club have what it takes?
๐ Yesterday, hundreds of carbon removers gathered in Brussels and online for the launch of the EU Buyers Club. Letโs start with the big, positive news: the Club has launched! ๐งจ In typical European understatement, there was no big bang, even some people in the room missed this important detail: there is now an open group of buyers, working together with the European Commission, selecting eligible European projects. The first offtakes are expected this year. The day itself -
May 20


๐ข Carbon Removal Dream Job Alert ๐ข
๐ฉโ๐ป And, no, this is not an April's fools joke. Stripe is actually looking for an EU Market Development Lead to grow long-term demand for CDR in Europe. ๐ Why I got so excited when I saw this? Stripe - a catalytic buyer in its own right - is also the driving force behind Frontier , the world's leading CDR buyers club, which has been playing a central role in the growth of this industry. You'd be at the heart of where the action is currently at. โญ I also know almost ever
Mar 31


๐ฎ๐น Carbon Removal is taking shape in Italy ๐ฎ๐น
๐ Finalmente! The Italian CDR ecosystem is mobilising with two exciting events in April: 1๏ธโฃ 14 APRIL IN PADOVA: The launch of the Rete Italiana Rimozione Carbonio (RIRC) , in collaboration with the Negative Emissions Platform . Science, policy, startups, and opportunity - all in one afternoon. After the event, there will also be a traditional aperitivo and dinner. ๐ Scuola della Caritร from 15:00โ18:00 ๐ Register: https://luma.com/oc2kvtaf 2๏ธโฃ 20 APRIL IN ROME: The lau
Mar 25
๐ช๐บ Time to ramp up EU CDR policy work
๐ฃ No surprises here: I believe the EU holds the key to scaling carbon removal policy. As such, I am thrilled to join the Board of Negative Emissions Platform (NEP), Europeโs most established industry voice for CDR. ๐๐ป Formally, I took over the Carbonfuture seat a month ago from Leila Toplic and hold it until the next election this June. Then hopefully beyond that. ๐ I look forward to joining Sacha Corby, PhD , Dirk Paessler , Rafael Broze (Microsoft), Johan Bรถr
Mar 24


๐ฌ๐ง Is the CRCF fit for purpose? The UK government thinks so.
๐ฅ The last few days have been heated in the CDR policy world: two objections were raised in the European Parliament - one from the far right and one from socialists + greens - requesting the outright rejection of the CRCF methodologies (both did not pass). ๐๏ธ On top of this, some civil society actors - most notably Carbon Market Watch - have been rallying the troops against the CRCF for months. ๐ค It is thus not far-fetched to ask whether the CRCF is fit for purpose? Recent
Mar 19


๐ช๐ธ Spain: Europeโs sleeping CDR giant?
๐ Today, Carbon Gap is releasing yet another gem: its Spain CDR Readiness Report. ๐ช The one line takeaway: no other country in Europe can match the sheer potential of Spain when it comes to CDR, yet the country is far from realising this potential. First, letโs look at why Spain is so well placed: โกAs fossil fuel prices soar, Spainโs bet is paying off: 55.5% of electricity renewables, with a target of 81% by 2030 building an industry expected to be worth โฌ308b and 560,00
Mar 9


๐ช๐ธ In case you needed one more reason to cheer for Spain todayโฆ
๐ While several EU member states are taking stabs at dismantling the ETS, Spain is coming out in its defense: President Pedro Sรกnchez explicitly described the EU ETS as the โcornerstoneโ of EU climate policy and opposes proposals to weaken or suspend the system. ๐คท Why would Spain take such a different stance to Germany, Italy, and many others? โก Already today, Spain is generating 56% of its electricity and 42% of its energy consumption from renewables. As a result, Spain i
Mar 4


๐ช๐บ Could carbon removals save the EU ETS?
Europeโs flagship climate policy - the EU ETS - has come under heavy attack lately. Its cost on carbon is seen as unsustainable and unfair to European industry. โ ๏ธ As a result, member states are asking for changes, delays, and even suspension. ๐ค But could CDR be a solution here? ๐ First, letโs start with the status quo: the cost of carbon in the ETS is going to increase - by design: estimates put it at around โฌ150/t in 2030, โฌ200/t in 2035, โฌ270/t in 2040 and >โฌ600/t in 205
Mar 2


๐ฎ๐น How Italy plans to kill the ETS ๐ฎ๐น
๐ช Are you following how Italy is trying to break Europeโs most successful climate policy? ๐ซฃ As an Italian myself, this is not easy to write. But it is necessary. ๐ญ Here is how: under Article 6 of the just passed โฌ3b โDecreto Bolleteโ, the Italian government would reimburse gas-fired power plants for the exact costs linked to ETS compliance. ๐ Without touching the ETS itself, Italy's move, if approved or replicated, could become a template that structurally undermines the
Feb 26


๐ Please donโt break the ETS, Chancellor Merz! ๐
๐ The European Emission Trading System (EU ETS) might well be the most effective decarbonisation policy humanity has ever created: it has lowered emissions of industrial facilities in the EU by around 50% in 20 years and saving an estimated 2Gt already! ๐ช๐บ And we are just getting started! But the whole premise of the ETS is that the cost of emitting a ton of CO2 will keep increasing, as free allowances and the so-called cap decrease. ๐ถ The ETS is also currently generating
Feb 17


๐ฉ๐ช A Big day for CDR in Germany
๐คฉ Later today, policymakers, researchers, founders, industry leaders, and NGOs are gathering to unpack what it will really take to scale carbon removal in Germany at the launch of Carbon Gap โs Germany's Carbon Removal Readiness Assessment Report. ๐๏ธ At the CDR Policy Scoop , we are excited to release our very first country special on Germany to answer the big question: Will Germany turn ambition into deployment fast enough? ๐ Tune in for a clear look at Germanyโs progr
Feb 4


โ๏ธ Without Like-for-Like, net-zero does not stop warming
๐ณ There, I said it. A statement that will lead to a lot of nodding for some, and fury for othersโฆ ๐ It is also the takeaway from a fascinating paper just released by Carbon Gap and authored by Sylvain Delerce . ๐ค Quick recap: What is the Like-for-Like (LfL) principle? From the paper: โLike-for-Like neutralisation requires balancing anthropogenic GHG sources with removals by sinks of similar or greater permanence than the carbon pool the emissions originate from and / o
Jan 28


๐จ๐ญ Switzerland's leading the way on BUILDING carbon removal.
๐ Literally - through its holistic approach to building CO2 infrastructure we need to get scale CDR and CCS to achieve net-zero. ๐๏ธ Check out our latest conversation with Sophie Wenger , Senior Policy Advisor at the Swiss Federal Office for the Environment, on CDR Policy Scoop , โHow is Switzerland using COโ infrastructure to meet its climate targets?โ ๐ Catch up to find out about the unsexy but crucial plumbing behind net zero: โถ๏ธ Youtube: https://lnkd.in/dH-GeTKn ๐ง
Jan 19


๐ค What do CDR buyers really think?
๐ At pretty much every CDR event, we all agree on one thing: we need more buyers. But the harder (and more interesting) question is what will actually unlock that demand? ๐ฌ Thatโs exactly what we set out to explore in a special episode of the CDR Policy Scoop, recorded live at Carbon Unbound Europe in London back in October. ๐ฑ Together with my co-host Eve Tamme , we had the chance to sit down - in person - with buyers to find out how they see the current CDR policy and ma
Dec 22, 2025


๐ค How much is 5% international credits really? ๐ค
๐ฏ I am seeing a lot of confusion regarding the amount of international credits to be used by the European Union to achieve its 2040 target. ๐ Yesterday, I was finally able to look at the compromise text which came out of the successful trilogue negotiations last week. Here is what it comes down to: ๐ The 5% take a 1990 baseline. In that year, emissions were 4.736Gt, meaning we are looking at 237Mt. Beyond this, the text is still surprisingly vague, which leaves room for in
Dec 18, 2025


๐ช๐บ Europe will procure huge amounts of international credits - but what credits exactly?
๐ฏ A final agreement has been reached: 5% international credits (1990 levels) plus a potential additional 5% (2005 levels) at member state level. ๐ Starting as early as 2031, we are talking 100s of megatons, potentially more than a gigaton worth of credits (we are still thin on details). ๐ But what credits exactly? So far, all we have is reference to โhigh-qualityโ and a reference to the Paris Agreement. It will be up to the EU Commission to prepare an impact assessment and
Dec 17, 2025


๐ชฆCan the Green Claims Directive be brought back to life?
โ According to the EU Commission, 56% of all corporate environmental claims are bogus. This is exactly what it aimed to tackle with two key regulations: Empower Consumers Directive (hashtag#ECD) and Green Claims Directive (hashtag#GCD). ๐๏ธ Back in June, I reported about the drama when the GCD was put on ice just before its final trilogue negotiation. Led by Germany and German MEPs, which even triggered a constitutional crisis with the Commission. ๐ฉ๐ฐ The Danish Presidency i
Nov 28, 2025


๐จ๐ช๐บ BREAKING: EU Parliament backs 2040 Climate Target ๐ช๐บ๐จ
๐ฅ Just a few minutes ago, the EU Parliament voted (379 Yes, 248 No, 10 abstentions) to adopt its position on the EU 2040 Target. ๐ฏDespite attempts by the right to water down the target to 83% โ which was thankfully voted down and averted โ itโs almost identical to the Councilโs position from last week: 90% overall target, 5% international credits, up to 5% additional international credits at member state level, and a review clause every two years. ๐ A notable difference, h
Nov 14, 2025
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