EU-wide carbon removal certification deal is important step towards climate targets - German ministry

(Clean Energy Wire, 11 Mar 2024) An agreement by the majority of EU member states on a draft for an EU wide standardised and voluntary certification framework for CO2 removal and carbon farming marks an important step for the bloc towards reaching international climate targets, the German economy and climate action ministry (BMWK) has said.

Although greenhouse gas reduction must continue to be a priority in climate protection policy, a ramp-up of CO2 removal technologies would be necessary in order to achieve the Paris Agreement's targets, said state secretary Sven Giegold. “The EU carbon removal certification framework will create standardised and transparent rules for earning money from certified activities,” he said, adding that this could become a new source of income for farmers and forest owners.

Already in February, the European Parliament, the EU Council and the Commission reached a provisional agreement on carbon removal standards. The agreement must now be formally confirmed by the EU Parliament before certification methods and regulations for monitoring, reporting and verification for the various types of activity can be developed, the ministry said. Certifiable activities will include permanent CO2 removals, for example from direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage(BECCS)

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Clean Energy Wire, 11 Mar 2024: EU-wide carbon removal certification deal is important step towards climate targets - German ministry