The CDR Policy Scoop

CDR Policy Scoop is proud to present the next SHOWDOWN in the first-ever live debate in a hybrid format — on stage and streamed live: Voluntary vs Compliance Markets.The race to scale carbon removal is on – but which market will get us there first? Voluntary buyers are moving billions, experimenting, and taking early risks. Compliance markets promise scale, rigour, and integration into national climate strategies.We are excited to be taking our debate live on stage at Carbon Unbound Europe.In the Voluntary Corner: TITO JANKOWSKI, CEO of the AirMiners, a community and accelerator for carbon removal leaders. Tito needs no introduction: he is known across the industry for his boundless passion for CDR (and for having invented the official CDR greeting).In the Compliance Corner: our very own Eve Tamme, Managing Director of Climate Principles, and one of the leading policy experts for all things carbon markets and CDR. With over two decades of policy work, few understand compliance better than her.Sebastian Manhart moderates as the two sides go head-to-head to keep things punchy, informative, and entertaining.. Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteTito Jankowski: LinkedIn, AirMiners Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What does the new Article 6.4 Standard on Non-Permanence and Reversals mean for carbon removal projects?It has just been adopted by the Supervisory Body after lengthy deliberations and a huge inflow of stakeholder comments.The new standard remains controversial. Some stakeholders welcome the adopted standard, given its improvements compared to the draft versions. Others highlight the negative impacts on the carbon markets due to pushing decisions on key elements (like the percentage of negligible risk and post-crediting monitoring period) down to the methodology level. How will the new standard impact carbon removal project development and the approval process?We’re excited to welcome Olga Gassan‑zade, a member of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body, to share personal views on these developments and explore what they mean for carbon removal projects and stakeholders worldwide.Join co‑host Eve Tamme for this deep‑dive on permanence, governance, and the future of carbon removal under the Paris Agreement Crediting Mechanism.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteOlga Gassan-zade: LinkedInMeeting documents of the 18th meeting of the Article 6.4 Supervisory Body Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU carbon removal purchasing programme and potential integration of removals into the ETS have generated plenty of buzz. Yet these could just be a first step in a longer policy sequence.Could a CDR Compliance System be the north star to aim for in the longer term?Carbon Gap has just unveiled its new report looking at how to drive long-term demand for permanent carbon removals across Europe.In it, they examine different options for a Removal Compliance System (RCS), looking at both traditional emissions-based obligations and economy-wide mandates. Could the RCS spark fresh opportunities and big debates? How can Europe develop and design a new mode of compliance?We’re thrilled to welcome special guest Francesca Battersby, Senior Policy Analyst at Carbon Gap and the lead author of the report, to explore this exciting topic together. She brings all the exclusive insights to help dissect the concepts on the table.Join co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart as they explore with Francesca what makes the RCS a potential game-changer and what issues to watch out for.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteFrancesca Battersby: LinkedIn and Carbon GapFrom Targets to Tonnes: Exploring Compliance Options to Drive Lasting Demand for Carbon Removals in the EU Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On 25 September, the European Commission convened its first Technical Workshop on Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) and Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) under the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming framework (CRCF). This marks the formal beginning of the journey toward EU recognition of these technologies.The context is clear: DACCS, BECCS, and biochar methodologies are soon settled, but permanent removals need more arrows in their quiver. The Commission is now turning to the next set of methods.Key questions remain wide open: – How mature is the science for robust MRV? – How will permanence, leakage, and environmental impacts be addressed? – What pace can we realistically expect for final CRCF methodologies for ERW and OAE?We’re delighted to be joined by Rachel Smith, Policy Director at Cascade Climate. Rachel has been at the forefront of shaping policy pathways for ERW, in particular, and will help us put the workshop discussions into perspective.Join in as co-host Eve Tamme dissects the details, challenges, and opportunities ahead with Rachel.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteRachel Smith: LinkedIn and Cascade ClimateReview papers on ERW and OEA for the workshopERW and OEA workshop recordingFrom Drawdown to Durable Storage: Understanding ERW in EU Carbon Removal PolicyCDR Primer Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The EU’s 2040 Climate Target debate is heating up. At stake: whether to allow international carbon credits at all - and if so, how many and what kind.The European Union is split: some push to ban credits outright, while others want to allow plenty and as early as 2031. The current 3% proposal would mean up to 400 Mt of international credits by 2040.Such a volume could literally ignite whole industries across numerous countries, with all the benefits that can bring to local communities. But the concerns centre around whether it would water down the EU’s own climate action.Should the EU be allowing international credits, especially from the Global South, to achieve its climate targets? If so, should it focus on durable removals and be limited only for hard to hard-to-abate emissions?Co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart are delighted to be joined by Fiona Mugambi, Head of Growth & Partnerships at Octavia Carbon and Policy Lead at The Global South CDR Coalition. Fiona brings first-hand insights from Africa’s leading DAC initiative and a coalition that can shape debates in Brussels.Join in as Eve, Sebastian and Fiona unpack one of the hottest debates in EU climate policy right now.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteFiona Mugambi: LinkedIn and Octavia CarbonThe EU’s 2040 climate target proposalBreaking Down the EU’s 2040 Climate Target Proposal: What’s New and What’s Next?Power of Biochar - Documentary narrated by Sebastian on the Exomad Green story - a great example of Global South CDR. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteHugh McDonald: LinkedIn and Ecologic InstitutNew EU studies explore purchasing programme to boost permanent carbon removals in EuropeAn EU purchasing programme for permanent carbon removals. Assessment of policy options and recommendations for short-term policy designWorkshop: Perspectives on a Purchasing Programme for CRCF Permanent Carbon Removal CreditsCDR Policy Scoop - A European CDR Purchasing Programme (May 2025) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

At the end of August, the UK government released over 500 pages of documentation on how it plans to finance the scale-up of removals.There is a lot to talk about: the UK has committed over £22B to CCUS (including CDR) over 25 years, of which £9.4B has already been allocated in the 2025 Spending Review.It has also recently released its vision for how to integrate CDR into the UK ETS, potentially as early as 2029 (ahead of the EU).Now it suggests 15-year carbon contracts for difference (CCfDs) for BECCS and DACCS projects, as well as up to 50% of CAPEX support.We’re grateful to welcome Laura Hurley, an absolute UK policy pro, to unpack these news. In fact, she set up the UK’s first GGR policy team back in 2020.Join as co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart go deep on what could be the most ambitious CDR policies in Europe to date.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteLaura Hurley: LinkedInUK Greenhouse Gas Removals Business Model Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carbon rating agencies have increasingly become an indispensable pillar of carbon market infrastructure. While originally created to solve deep-seated quality and integrity concerns in the voluntary carbon markets, they are now also playing a role in compliance markets.What really goes into rating carbon removal projects, and what are the expected future developments? With the ICVCM establishing Core Carbon Principles eligibility for some CDR methods, will project-based ratings still be necessary?To help us untangle this, we’re excited to welcome Bojana Bajzelj, PhD, VP of Carbon Removal at BeZero Carbon, one of the leading carbon ratings agencies. She brings unique expertise on what makes a carbon credit truly credible in a rapidly changing landscape.Join as co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart get clarity on trust, quality, and the future of CDR in carbon markets. Tune in for sharp insights into the science and analysis that underpin ratings, as well as a candid discussion on the future of credit ratings.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteBojana Bajzelj: LinkedIn and BeZeroSwitzerland hires carbon ratings agency to assess ITMO integrity in wake of criticism over additionality Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Scoop School is back in session.The second lesson: Who’s leading and who’s lagging in carbon removal (CDR) policy?Who’s getting it right, and who’s falling behind?What works in CDR policy design?Is it possible to replicate successes across borders?Yes, durable CDR policy is still in its early stages, but our in-depth looks at the UK, Switzerland, and Germany have proven there’s already a lot to discuss—and a lot others can learn from.Sebastian has been tracking these policy trends closely and will join Eve to unpack the best, the most ambitious, and the key lessons so far.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteCarbon Gap Policy Tracker Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It may still be summer, but the new series, “Scoop School”, is now in session. First lesson: Carbon Removal Accounting. Which is not the same as MRV, and the lesson will get to that.Countries are facing new and urgent questions regarding how to account for removals, whether it's within the context of the Paris Agreement’s Crediting Mechanism PACM, the EU’s CRCF, or incorporating removals into emission trading systems. All of this has a tangible impact on which carbon removal methods can be scaled via compliance markets, and oftentimes comes as a surprise to those active exclusively in voluntary markets.The inaugural “Scoop School” lesson will cover:What types of removals are included in the national accountingWhich ones are notAnd which ones are in the grey zoneWhere are the blind spots? Join co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme as they delve into these questions and more to make sense of the current state of play.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteWill the Carbon Removal Certification Framework count in the race to climate neutrality?CDR and credibility: Unpacking reversal rules under Article 6.4 with Danny CullenwardReport of the IPCC Expert Meeting, 2024Draft outline of the Methodology Report on Carbon Dioxide Removal Technologies, Carbon Capture Utilization and StorageDiscussions on the IPCC Report on CO2 Removal/Carbon Capture to continue at next session Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.