cdr-carbon-negative-handbook-november-2024-effc542d334de6cf.pdf

The document defines carbon dioxide removal (CDR) as the physical extraction and permanent storage of atmospheric CO2. It argues that CDR must supplement, not substitute, deep emission reductions of over 90%. The handbook evaluates six negative emissions technologies and practices (NETPs)—biochar, BioCCS, DACCS, enhanced weathering, afforestation/reforestation, and soil carbon sequestration—detailing their technical readiness, permanence, and environmental trade-offs. It emphasizes the need for robust 'cradle-to-grave' carbon accounting, separate targets for reductions and removals to avoid mitigation deterrence, and the integration of the Planetary Boundaries framework to ensure Earth system stability. The text also critiques current EU legislation, such as the Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) and the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), for lacking ambition and failing to distinguish between permanent and temporary storage.

• To reach net-zero targets, gross emissions reductions of more than 90% across all sectors are required, as the capacity for carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is likely to be limited.
• CDR must be strictly defined as the physical extraction of CO2 from the atmosphere and its permanent storage, where the amount of carbon stored exceeds the greenhouse gas emissions generated by the removal process across the entire supply chain.
• There is a critical need to establish separate, legally binding targets for emission reductions, permanent removals, and land-based sequestration to prevent 'mitigation deterrence,' where the promise of future removals slows current decarbonization efforts.
• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) are often incorrectly conflated with CDR; they are emission reduction or avoidance pathways and only qualify as CDR if the CO2 source is atmospheric or biogenic and the storage is permanent.
• The document identifies a 'false equivalence' in carbon markets, noting that one tonne of removed CO2 may have up to 10% lower climate impact than one tonne of emitted CO2 due to carbon cycle interactions.
• The Planetary Boundaries framework should be used to assess CDR sustainability, as biomass-based approaches can create trade-offs by increasing pressure on land-system change, biosphere integrity, and nutrient flows.
• Technical removals like DACCS and BioCCS offer high permanence (centuries to millennia), whereas land-based sequestration (afforestation, soil carbon) is considered temporary and high-risk due to vulnerability to wildfires, pests, and climate change.
• The EU's Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) is criticized for lacking social sustainability safeguards and failing to address double-counting between EU climate targets and voluntary carbon markets.
• The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) is described as having a minor impact on agricultural emissions despite significant spending, with its 'eco-schemes' failing to meet expectations.

APA

Paul, A., Hernández, M. R., Aragonès, M. P., & Stoefs, W. (2024). cdr-carbon-negative-handbook-november-2024-effc542d334de6cf.pdf. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CDR-Carbon-negative-handbook-November-2024.pdf

Chicago

Paul, Allanah, Marlène Ramón Hernández, Mark Preston Aragonès, and Wijnand Stoefs. cdr-carbon-negative-handbook-november-2024-effc542d334de6cf.pdf. Carbon Market Watch, 2024. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CDR-Carbon-negative-handbook-November-2024.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Paul |first1=Allanah |last2=Hernández |first2=Marlène Ramón |last3=Aragonès |first3=Mark Preston |last4=Stoefs |first4=Wijnand |title=cdr-carbon-negative-handbook-november-2024-effc542d334de6cf.pdf |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=November 2024 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CDR-Carbon-negative-handbook-November-2024.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{paul2024cdrcarbonnegativehandbooknovember2024effc542d334de6cfpdf, author = {Paul, Allanah and Hernández, Marlène Ramón and Aragonès, Mark Preston and Stoefs, Wijnand}, title = {{cdr-carbon-negative-handbook-november-2024-effc542d334de6cf.pdf}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2024}, month = nov, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/CDR-Carbon-negative-handbook-November-2024.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }