The CDR Policy Scoop

Join Erik Rylander, the Head of CDR at Stockholm Exergi, as he shares his expertise in blending public funding with voluntary carbon markets for effective carbon removal. He discusses successful strategies in their BECCS project, the intricacies of navigating funding sources, and the evolving role of state subsidies. Erik highlights the challenges of large-scale carbon capture, the importance of additionality, and how to ensure climate initiatives successfully align with market demands. Tune in for valuable insights and lessons learned from the front lines of carbon management!

Against all odds, the Liberal Party just won the Canadian general elections. Mark Carney’s party explicitly campaigned to turn Canada into a global leader in carbon dioxide removal.Canada plans to do so by - among other things - extending its investment tax credit to 2035, supporting a broad range of CDR tech, and introducing dedicated CDR targets for 2035 and 2040.This all sounds incredibly promising. But will Canada be able to realise this ambition?No better person to answer this question than Na'im Merchant, Executive Director of Carbon Removal Canada, an organisation that has been instrumental in raising the profile of CDR in Canada over the last two years.Na’im joins co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme for a fast-paced, 30-minute session that gets right to the heart of the debate.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteNa’im Merchant: LinkedInCanada: a safe haven for carbon removal innovation in an uncertain worldCarbon Removal CanadaCarbon CurveFrom ministers to mandate letters — Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first 100 days in office matters to carbon removal Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's out: the European Commission published a consultation to gather feedback on what the world's largest emission trading system - the EU ETS - should look like after 2031.For carbon removals, integration into the EU ETS represents one of the most promising paths to predictable demand at scale. Whether and how that will happen is still up for debate.A unique opportunity to get involved with such a crucial legislative process from the get-go.Join Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart for a punchy 30-min discussion that dives into the consultation, its implications, and what a potential call to action for the CDR industry could look like.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteEU ETS consultation Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Are we scrubbing the smokestacks and skies of a waste gas, or creating a valuable resource for a net-zero world?As carbon management technologies like CCS, CCU, DACCS, and BECCS advance, policymakers and markets are narrowing down on CO₂’s role.In this CDR Policy Scoop, we dive into:What happens if we treat CO₂ only as waste?⁠What is the real potential for CO₂ to be commoditized?⁠How does this debate shape business models, public acceptance, and climate impact?We’re thrilled to welcome seasoned carbon management expert Rachael Moore from CarbStrat as a guest with unparalleled insights on the topic.This session is a must for anyone interested in the future of carbon markets, policy innovation, and scaling high-quality carbon removal. There’s a lot to explore!Join co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme for a fast-paced, 30-minute session that gets right to the heart of the debate.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteRachael Moore: LinkedIn CarbStrat websiteThe future of CO2 in Europe: commodity or waste? Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How can the EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism help scale carbon dioxide removal?Designed to put a price on imported carbon and prevent leakage, but could it also act as a catalyst for scaling CDR?This CDR Scoop cuts through the noise to explore this critical link. We're digging deep to uncover the potential synergies and challenges.To ensure we cover all angles, we're thrilled to welcome leading CBAM expert Dan Maleski from Redshaw Advisors. Get ready for unparalleled insights from someone truly in the know!Join co-hosts Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme for another insightful and punchy 30-minute session. Let's unpack this complex topic together.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteDan Maleski: LinkedInOEIS Podcast on CBAM with DanCRA 3-pager on CBAM and CDR in the U.S.BCG study with a great section on CBAMs Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In a lively debate, Martin Freimüller, Co-Founder and CEO of Octavia Carbon, champions Direct Air Capture (DAC) as a vital technology for carbon removal. He argues for its scalability and global potential, especially from Kenya. In response, biochar expert Sebastian Manhart highlights biochar's impressive durability and agricultural advantages. The discussion uncovers the challenges of scaling each solution, revealing audience preferences while emphasizing that both methods are essential for significant climate action. Tune in for an engaging clash of ideas!

On March 31st, EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra floated various ideas for how Europe’s expected 90% emission reduction target for 2040 could be achieved.One of them: letting EU countries purchase United Nations Article 6 credits to meet EU's 2040 climate target. Similar suggestions are currently being proposed by the upcoming German government.This would require undoing a core principle of Europe’s Climate Law: only European reductions and removals shall count towards climate neutrality.The backlash has been significant, especially in civil society and environmental groups.But could this - with some modifications - actually provide a smart path for Europe?Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsitePolitico article on Commissioner Hoekstra’s comments Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

8,000 companies have emission reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative. Only around 50 of them have so far purchased durable carbon removal.Imagine if all of them purchased CDR? The impact could be >50Mt of demand. Per year. Starting from 2030.On March 18th, the SBTi released the draft net-zero standard 2.0 which marks a potential inflection point. Will it:Drive companies to begin CDR purchases immediately?Keep CDR voluntary until the 2040s?⁠Inadvertently push companies away from SBTi due to concerns about mandatory CDR costs?To make sense of this wide spectrum of possibilities, the CDR Policy Scoop is delighted to have Robert Höglund back on the show. He has been a member of the external SBTi Technical Advisory Group and understands the process and its implications for CDR like no other.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteRobert Höglund: LinkedIn, Website, and SBTi draft CNZS AnalysisSBTi’s draft Corporate Net Zero Standard ConsultationCarbon Direct Analysis on draft SBTi CNZSLukas May analysis on potential CDR demand of draft SBTi’s CNZS Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aviation is responsible for almost 1Gt of CO2 emissions, or 2.5% of global emissions. Up to 4% when accounting for non-CO2 climate warming effects. And demand is only going up: 3-4% year-on-year.Aviation is also notoriously hard to decarbonise: most hope is placed on sustainable aviation fuels (SAF). Given there will always be considerable residual emissions (ICAO: 200Mt-950Mt in 2050), carbon removal is central to aviation’s net-zero aspiration for 2050.From a policy perspective, it is incredibly challenging to regulate, as 61% of aviation emissions are emitted on international flights and only 39% within a single country’s boundaries.A promising solution is emission trading systems for domestic/regional emissions (think EU ETS) and CORSIA for international emissions.Sounds easy? The reality is incredibly complex, messy, and potentially worrying.Listen in to hear Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart unpack this topic and provide clear solutions for what could be done in future.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsitePeople love flying, and that is not going to changeThe complex CORSIA vs EU ETS nexusE-fuels or storage – how to make the most of clean electricity and captured CO2ReFuelEU AviationCORSIA Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Will the EU need 2x as much CDR?The highly anticipated 333-page milestone report on carbon removal by Europe's Scientific Advisory Board has landed, promising to be the most comprehensive analysis of CDR to date. Does this heavyweight report deliver the strategic guidance needed to shape effective EU CDR policy? What other crucial insights does it offer – and more importantly, what might it have missed?Eve and Sebastian delve into the report and share their take.Tune in to find out more.Links:Eve Tamme: LinkedIn and WebsiteSebastian Manhart: LinkedIn and WebsiteReport: ‘Scaling up carbon dioxide removals – Recommendations for navigating opportunities and risks in the EU’ by the European Scientific Advisory Board on Climate ChangeEve’s findings on the 333-page CDR reportWill the EU need twice as much CDR as expected?Supercharging carbon removal from the EU’s land sector Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.