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Advice on the Governance of CO2-removal (CDR)

CO2-removal is the deliberate removal of CO2 from the atmosphere. This includes both biological and technological processes of extracting CO2 from the atmosphere combined with CO2-storage.

Offsetting the remaining emissions

Examples of carbon-removal techniques are reforestation and Direct Air Capture (DAC). The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concludes that CO2-removal - in addition to rapid and large reductions in greenhouse gas emissions - is necessary in scenarios where global warming remains below 1.5°C. To become climate-neutral by 2050 at the latest, the Netherlands will have to offset the emissions remaining at that time with CO2-removal.

In addition, CO2-removal may be important to reduce global temperatures again after any exceedance of 1.5°C. The governance structure and policies for CO2-removal are still developing. For example, the European Commission is currently working on a voluntary certification framework for different methods of CO2-removal.

Next steps

At both the European and national levels, the next steps are as of yet unclear and many questions remain. For example:

  • Under what conditions may CO2-removal certificates be used to offset remaining emissions?
  • How do you ensure that CO2-removal takes place in a socially responsible manner?
  • How do you deal with differences in storage duration between different methods of CO2-removal?
  • What policy instruments can enable and regulate CO2-removal?
  • What will be the division of tasks, roles and responsibilities of the various parties involved?

How can CO2-removal be managed?

The WKR wants to explore answers to questions like these and has therefore started a project on the topic. The advisory report will address the tension between being prepared for the expected need to remove CO2 on the one hand and, on the other, preventing CO2-removal from becoming an alternative to energetic emission reduction. This leads to the following central question for the advice: How can CO2-removal be managed? The advisory report on carbon removals is to be expected before the summer of 2024.