How Far Can the EU’s Market-Shaping Purchasing Programme Go? - with Hugh McDonald

Achieving the EU’s aspirational 2030 target of 5 MtCO₂-e  in permanent removals per year requires an €2.4–6.7 billion in investment. Fast forward to 2040, we’ll need to reach 75 Mt – or even as high as 280 Mt – according to Carbon Gap. The policy, funding, and market implications are enormous.

A well-designed EU purchasing programme can have a significant impact on making it happen.

Recently, the EU Commission released three (!) major reports charting the course for the forthcoming EU purchasing programme for permanent carbon removals. One of these reports provides an in-depth policy assessment and puts forward a policy blueprint for the programme, building on the spring workshop that we featured at CDR Policy Scoop back in May.

We’re honoured to welcome our guest, Hugh McDonald, Senior Fellow at Ecologic Institut and the lead author of the report. Hugh has unmatched insights to dissect all the details.

Join in as co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart get the inside track on how the purchasing programme could be implemented.

Links:

• Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and Website
• Sebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and Website
• Hugh McDonald: LinkedIn and Ecologic Institut
• New EU studies explore purchasing programme to boost permanent carbon removals in Europe
• An EU purchasing programme for permanent carbon removals. Assessment of policy options and recommendations for short-term policy design
• Workshop: Perspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal Credits
• CDR Policy Scoop - A European CDR Purchasing Programme (May 2025)

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.