EU must clarify CO₂ removal rules

Carbon removals proposal must prioritise emissions cuts and differentiate between short-term and long-term storage, according to NGOs

EU regulations to certify carbon removals from the atmosphere are vaguely worded and leave space for overshooting climate targets, according to a letter signed by 12 NGOs. Under the latest draft of the Carbon Removals Certification Framework (CRCF), the European Commission proposes that carbon removals could be certified and traded as credits in carbon offset markets—both from carbon capture and storage and afforestation projects. The Commission is also aiming to create a regime to certify direct air carbon capture and storage and bioenergy carbon capture and storage as carbon-removal technologies. “These technologies are not currently viable at scale and have potentially enormous social, en