Govt to fund CO2 removal research with €20 million over next three years

Ten projects researching different techniques for carbon direct removal (CDR) from the atmosphere will receive a total of 20 million euros in funding from Germany’s federal science and education ministry (BMBF) over the next three years. Only with a deep understanding of the different CDR methods will the government be able to make well-founded and future-proof decisions on how the country achieves climate neutrality by 2045, the ministry said in a press release. “Emission reductions always need to have priority, and for this we need a strong signal from the climate summit in Glasgow,” minister Anja Karliczek said. “But science also makes it clear: in addition to the drastic reduction of greenhouse gases, we also need the removal of CO2 from the atmosphere and the long-term storage of carbon dioxide in order to meet our climate targets.”

Politicians now need analysis and comparisons of the different CDR methods, their risks, opportunities and interactions, as well as their social and economic implications, the minister explained. Over 100 researchers from various backgrounds will assess the potential of methods including direct air capture with carbon storage (DACCS), agroforestry, enhanced weathering, biochar, artificial photosynthesis, afforestation and reforestation, forest management and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS).

The ministry previously launched six research projects on marine carbon storage in August 2021. In total, the BMBF will invest 47 million euros in research on land-based and marine CDR methods.