Changes from report parliamentary committee draft to plenary report

"The deployment of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to counterbalance hard-to-abate residual emissions is unavoidable if net zero CO2 or GHG emissions are to be achieved."

IPCC, Sixth Assessment Report

Climate Change has become a hot topic and at the core of the European Parliament. This report underscores the importance of carbon removals in achieving global net zero goals and highlights the need for robust certification frameworks to ensure that carbon removals are deployed effectively and responsibly.

First of all, the definition of carbon removal in the Carbon Removal Certification Framework shall be consistent with international and scientific standards to ensure compatibility, particularly with the IPCC definition.

The challenge of climate change is one that requires a multifaceted approach. While reducing emissions remains our top priority, it is clear, and internationally recognized, that we will also need to employ other strategies such as carbon removal to achieve net zero emissions. Carbon removal t can be effective in capturing and storing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, helping to mitigate the impact of hard-to-abate residual emissions.

However, it is crucial that we approach the deployment of carbon removals seriously and addressing its risks. The European Parliament needs to adequately regulate carbon removal certifications to prevent low-quality removals and greenwashing, which could ultimately undermine our efforts to combat climate change. This is why the establishment of a robust carbon removal certification framework is so important and the steps taken in this report regarding monitoring, validity, liability, transparency and the information to be made public are so important. The Parliament must go further than the Commission regarding the introduction of appropriate monitoring, expiration and liability mechanisms to address cases of reversal and there should be a liable party at any moment of time.

The framework should be designed to support high quality, long-term carbon removals that are able to achieve meaningful emissions removals from the atmosphere. At the same time, it should encourage innovation in carbon removal technologies and practices, and investment from the private sector, including in carbon farming. This is why it is important, to also include activities that reduce carbon release and thereby lead to carbon removals, such as in rewetting of peatlands. In addition, to incentivise long-term storage, we shall be open to permanent carbon storage outside of the Union if the carbon is captured in the Union and storage under similar rules to the EU. For instance, geological storage possibilities are recognized in countries such as Norway and Iceland. Therefore, carbon removed in the Union, but geologically stored in a third country under the same legal requirements should also be certifiable.

One of the critical aspects of a successful carbon removal certification framework is the ability to differentiate between high-quality and low-quality removals. This is essential to ensure that carbon removals actually contribute to emissions reductions and do not simply provide a way for companies to claim carbon neutrality without actually reducing emissions. Therefore, it is important that the framework include rigorous standards for carbon removal projects, including verification of carbon removals, and monitoring of project activities over the long-term. Both permanent and temporary carbon removals can contribute to meeting climate goals, but under different conditions, which should be much more strict for temporary carbon removals, in terms of monitoring, expiry and liability requirements, in order to ensure public trust and climate integrity.,

To avoid creating unnecessary bureaucracy, the framework shall also operate efficiently and effectively. This could involve streamlining the certification process, reducing the administrative burden on project developers and ensuring easily comparable and transparent information, including a single Union registry. At the same time, the framework should be designed to encourage innovation and allow for the development of new and more effective carbon removal technologies and practices. It provides a high-quality monitoring, verification and reporting framework, and should not pre-empt decisions on the use of carbon removals, which will be regulated under the appropriate legal frameworks. This approach ensures consistency, avoids regulatory duplication, and most importantly allows in-depth, dedicated assessments on the use of carbon removals in different contexts before taking the regulatory decisions on the use, notably through the upcoming reviews in the context of the EU ETS and LULUCF agreed in the recent reviews of those acts, in the Green Claims proposal recently presented, or in the upcoming 2040 climate target proposals.

A successful carbon removal certification framework would also need to be interesting for the private sector. This could involve creating incentives for companies to invest in carbon removal projects.

In conclusion, the establishment of a robust carbon removal certification framework is essential to achieving our net zero emissions goals and shall not substitute the needed GHG emission reductions. Such a framework must prioritize emissions reductions, support high quality, long-term carbon removals, foster innovation, and attract investment from the private sector. By doing so, we can create a transparent and reliable marketplace for carbon removals that supports our efforts to combat climate change while creating new opportunities for investment and innovation.