🌍 Will international carbon credits shape the future of EU decarbonisation? And what type exactly?

☂️ Just over a year ago, I brought together most of the world’s leading CDR companies from the Global South under the umbrella of the The Global South Carbon Dioxide Removal Coalition (GS CDR) CDR coalition. 

💪 The premise was simple: the Global South is uniquely positioned to deliver the majority of high quality removals - in fact, it already is! Yet access to compliance markets in the Global North was far from certain.

🎯 Little did we know that our work was so quickly going to become central to the EU’s own decarbonisation efforts: with its amended 2040 Climate Target, the EU is aiming to achieve around 50% of its target through international carbon credits.

🛡️ It is crucial that these credits are high quality and - increasingly - removals, not just reductions, if we are serious about net zero. 

📄 Today, our coalition, together with leading CDR partner organisations, is publishing a policy position paper calling for a clear, strategic role for high-integrity carbon removal credits within this EU framework.

Our position is grounded in three realities:

1️⃣ No net-zero without removals: Residual emissions will remain, and durable carbon removal is essential to reach net zero.

2️⃣ Removals offer structural advantages: High-integrity carbon removal credits offer measurable, verifiable CO₂ removal, strong MRV, clear accounting, and a high level of trust.

3️⃣ Timing matters: Without an early EU demand signal, Europe risks a carbon removal supply gap in the 2030s, just as compliance demand rises.

We therefore recommend:

➡️ Prioritising high-integrity carbon removal credits within the EU’s international credit mix, with their share increasing over time

➡️ Including removals from the outset in any pilot phase, ideally starting around 2031 to allow supply, verification, and infrastructure to scale

🇪🇺 Beyond climate impact, this is about European leadership: a clear demand signal can scale the global carbon removal market while positioning Europe at the forefront of technology and climate finance.

🏛️ This is a pivotal moment to align policy with science, markets, and long-term competitiveness.

👀 Read the full position paper here: https://lnkd.in/eEZBhuzG

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