EU's net-zero emissions plans shift focus to carbon management solutions

Germany's government has launched a push for technologies to capture, store, transport and use CO2 (CCS/CCU) and is set to soon adopt its Carbon Management Strategy. It is meant to create the framework for using these technologies, especially in sectors where emissions are difficult or impossible to avoid, such as cement production, waste incineration or in the chemical industry. Germany aims to coordinate its efforts with those at EU level, and with several other European countries, including pioneers like Norway and Iceland. This factsheet lays out the fundamentals of the strategy, based on a draft seen by CLEW. Read the Q&A here.

The German government has proposed plans to make carbon capture and storage (CCS) possible to help the country reach greenhouse gas neutrality by 2045. State support will focus on capturing and storing or using carbon from industrial processes where emissions are difficult or impossible to avoid, according to a government paper on key elements of the upcoming strategy. However, Germany looks set to allow CCS also for gas-fired power plants, although without state support. Captured CO2 could then be used or stored under the seabed, either in Germany or abroad. By contrast, onshore storage remains out of the question for now. Industry association BDI welcomed the proposals, while several environmental NGOs said it opens the door for continuing fossil fuel-based business models. Read the article here.

Years of protest against industry plans to use carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a lifeline for coal power have made the technology a no-go issue for many politicians in Germany, Europe and beyond. Yet, countries' goals of climate neutrality around mid-century reopened debate on the issue of combatting CO2 emissions that are difficult to avoid, for example in cement production. Parties, including the German Greens, are realigning their official stance, and the country's governing coalition has presented the first crucial elements of its upcoming carbon management strategy, which is set to define guidelines for dealing with CCS. This Q&A provides a brief explanation of CCS, the history of public opposition and the status quo of the debate in Germany and the EU. Read the factsheet here.

Building up a new industry of CO2 removers and standardising the use of nature-based carbon uptake options has become a widespread demand in the fight against global warming. Critics warn that removal methods such as carbon storage in soils or capturing CO2 from plants and directly remving it from the atmosphere will draw away attention from the overarching task of avoiding emissions altogether. In Germany, the debate around negative emissions has begun to pick up, as projections show they will be crucial for achieving climate neutralty by 2045. A deep aversion in the country to carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies makes agreeing on a decision more difficult. At the same time, the EU is preparing carbon removal legislation, and other players and nations move ahead with planning the future carbon offset market and a CO2 infrastructure. Read the article here.

The UK government is embracing carbon removal technologies as part of its net zero ambition and wants to use carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) to revive the industrial heartlands in the north of the country and create tens of thousands of jobs. Pilot projects are underway to sequester CO2 in the North Sea and the Irish Sea, but the involvement of well-known oil and gas companies sparks concerns that carbon storage will allow them to continue to profit from their fossil business model. Meanwhile, natural carbon removal solutions are sidelined, activists warn, and methods such as direct air carbon capture and storage and the use of biochar are still in their infancy. Read the article here.