A Global Challenge

All scenarios of the IPCC Special Report on the 1.5 °C target rely on the removal of large volumes of CO₂ - up to 730 billion tonnes  by 2100. This is nearly 15 times the annual GHG emissions.

However, the scale-up of atmospheric carbon removal technologies and practices has not yet gained due attention on the EU climate policy agenda and in the works of the signatories to the Paris Agreement. Similarly, the carbon circularity agenda focuses on recycling the CO₂ from industrial sources with only some consideration given to the use of atmospheric CO₂ to deliver genuine climate-neutral products and materials.  

To reach the goals of the Paris Agreement this has to change. The science is clear about the level of urgency required to keep warming to safe levels. If we start acting now, carbon removals will already require an annual growth rate of over 55%. Delaying the scale-up to 2025 will require an annual growth of 80%. The scale-up starting in 2030 means that carbon removal capacity will need to double every year.

The good news is that the carbon removal technologies, practices and solutions that can solve this global challenge have already been developed. Their wider deployment must happen in addition and in parallel to steep emissions reduction through conventional mitigation such as energy efficiency, renewable energies and industrial carbon capture and storage.

Only with both strategies combined -  emissions reduction and atmospheric carbon removal - we will be able to address and avoid catastrophic climate change.  This will require a multi-level cooperation and a dialogue among governments, policymakers, regulators, businesses, researchers, engineers and civil society.

Our Vision

Current research shows that there is no single solution that could be deployed at scale to remove hundreds of gigatonnes of CO₂ from the atmosphere by the end of this century. Carbon removal technologies and practices face varying domestic capacities, environmental and physical limits, more so than mitigation technologies. This is why we need to look at carbon removals as a portfolio of options that will complement one another in different locations and timeframes.   

Our main focus is on engineered and hybrid approaches with a potential for permanent removal of CO2 - direct air capture and bio-energy with carbon capture and storage, enhanced weathering on land and in the oceans, biochar, soil carbon sequestration, mineralisation in building materials and the use of wood in lasting products and materials. We also actively promote the use of atmospheric CO₂ in e-fuels, materials and chemicals as a way of closing the carbon cycle, while delivering the economies of scale and cost reductions for atmospheric capture technologies.  

Negative Emissions Platform aims at bringing all these solutions to the attention of policy makers and the general public. 

In our vision the successful deployment of necessary carbon removals relies on three governance issues: 

  • Further research will be needed to explore the potential, cost, and side effects of all carbon removal methods. 

  • Separate targets, incentives and accounting for negative emissions should be explored. This will bring clarity about the needed scale of carbon removals. 

  • Financial and regulatory incentives will need to be put in place in the 2020s to enable faster adoption and scale-up of atmospheric carbon removals throughout the 2030s and 2040s to deliver a Paris-aligned pathway. 

Our Mission 

Negative Emissions Platform is a unique partnership of European and international actors. We represent technology developers, providers and sponsors, research centers, academia, think-tanks and civil society.  

We provide a forum in which diverse like-minded organisations actively collaborate to improve political and public recognition of carbon removals. We deliver our mission through a broad set of activities including: 

  • Collective input on behalf of the members to the policy-making processes at the EU level and in relevant international and national fora. 

  • Direct advocacy towards the general public, key decision-makers and influencers through organisation of events, webinars and bilateral meetings. 

  • Preparation of publications, fact-sheets, policy briefs based on the latest science, political analysis and regulatory research.

  • Creation of a knowledge-sharing platform as a key source of high quality and accurate data about negative emissions technologies in the EU and globally.

  • Creation of alliances with the renewable, energy intensive, alternative and conventional fuels industries through joint statements, position papers and events.

  • Active collaboration with environmental organisations and science-based public engagement in response to enquires regarding the effects of carbon removal technologies and practices.

  • Mobilisation of external industry, policy and civil society ’champions’ to broadly communicate our messages.

How to Join

Membership in Negative Emissions Platform is open to a wide range of organisations (varying fees apply), providing they meet the following criteria:

  • They fully support the platform objectives.

  • They are, or want to become active in Europe as a technology developer, retailer, distributor, promoter or sponsor or;

  • They are a national research entity, higher education institution, think-tank or civil society organisation dedicated fully or partially to contributing to research, advocacy and communication in the area of negative emission technologies. 

If you are interested please get in touch with us.