New report outlines recommendations to scale up carbon dioxide removals while addressing opportunities and risks

Today the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate Change published its report ‘Scaling up carbon dioxide removals – Recommendations for navigating opportunities and risks in the EU’ . The report outlines key actions for the EU to accelerate the deployment of carbon dioxide removals, emphasising their potential to drive innovation, restore ecosystems and create economic opportunities, while ensuring environmental and social safeguards. 

Climate change is already disrupting ecosystems, infrastructure, and food and energy security across Europe and the world. 2024 was the warmest year on record since 1850. Alongside deep emissions cuts, removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere is essential to halting global warming, stabilising the climate and curbing the most severe impacts of climate change. 

The EU is committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 – and eventually net-negative emissions, where removals exceed emissions. With the ongoing decline in the EU’s carbon sink – the capacity of its natural systems, like forests and soils, to absorb and store CO2 – and the slow rollout of new removal methods, current trends underscore the urgent need for a strong policy response to scale up removals across the EU to counterbalance residual emissions from activities that currently have no or limited mitigation alternatives. 

Prof. Ottmar Edenhofer, Chair of the Advisory Board, commented: ‘To achieve its climate targets, the EU must quickly scale up carbon dioxide removals while pursuing deep emissions cuts. With the right incentives, a dynamic policy mix can speed up innovation and strengthen the EU’s position in the global race for cleantech leadership.’ 

Separate targets, stronger innovation support and environmental safeguards to accelerate carbon dioxide removals 

The Advisory Board recommends setting separate legal targets for emissions, temporary removals from land and permanent removals from novel methods. This would provide clear investment signals and promote technological progress. It calls for increased innovation funding and market incentives to drive early demand for removals, while ensuring robust monitoring to manage risks and fostering social engagement to raise awareness. 

Prof. Laura Diaz Anadon, vice-Chair of the Advisory Board, commented: ‘Speeding up innovation and competitiveness is a key EU priority. For carbon dioxide removals, this requires clear guidance and substantial public investment to improve the technological and commercial readiness of various removal methods. Diversification, robust monitoring and public engagement can help ensure removals deliver intended climate benefits, maintain environmental integrity and address social concerns.’  

Integrating permanent removals into the EU carbon market over time for a cost-effective deployment 

While public support is needed to overcome early-stage challenges, the Advisory Board recommends gradually integrating permanent removals into the EU Emissions Trading System. This would allow permanent removal projects to generate credits, under strict sustainability criteria, creating an innovative financing model for scaling up removals while limiting public budget dependency. 

Prof. Ottmar Edenhofer commented: ‘Once a robust certification framework is in place, integrating permanent removals into the EU Emissions Trading System will help balance reductions and removals in a cost-effective way. This process should be gradually phased in and carefully managed to account for technological readiness and environmental risks. Additionally, an intermediary institution should oversee the supply and demand of removal credits to ensure a robust and effective system.’

The Advisory Board also recommends recognising an ‘extended emitter responsibility’ that would require today’s emitters to contribute to the future removal of the greenhouse gases they emit. Such approach would particularly contribute to reaching net-negative emissions in the EU. 

Reversing the EU’s land sink decline through enhanced temporary removals 

The Advisory Board warns of a critical decline in the EU’s carbon sink, a trend worsened by climate impacts such as wildfires, droughts and floods. To reverse this trend, the Advisory Board recommends new pricing instruments to reward land managers for removing carbon and to price emissions in the land sector. 

Prof. Jette Bredahl Jacobsen, vice-Chair of the Advisory Board, commented: ‘Right now, EU policies on land use are insufficiently aligned with climate and sustainability goals. Smarter incentives rewarding removals in the land sector can generate funding to help restore the EU’s carbon sink and enhance ecosystems’ resilience to climate change.’

About carbon dioxide removals 
Carbon dioxide removals refer to the capture of CO2 from the atmosphere and its durable storage. Temporary removals are methods where the carbon stock in natural environments is increased, e.g., through afforestation or soil carbon sequestration. The storage is only temporary as the carbon is released to the atmosphere within years to centuries. Permanent removals store CO2 for millennia, typically in geological formations. The most prominent permanent removal methods currently discussed are bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS). 

Download the Advisory Board's report ‘Scaling up carbon dioxide removals – Recommendations for navigating opportunities and risks in the EU’ here

Presentation to the public

The Advisory Board will host a public webinar on Tuesday 25 February 2025, at 15:00 CET. The Advisory Board will present the new report and answer questions from participants. 

Sign up for the webinar here 

The webinar has limited availability, with only the first 250 people who sign up being able to participate directly in the webinar. It will, however, be possible for everyone to follow the livestreamed webinar on the Advisory Board's website.