Les besoins fondamentaux : Principes de base pour concevoir des politiques d’élimination du carbone raisonnables

The report argues that current carbon dioxide removal (CDR) governance systems are flawed because they often treat carbon removal as equivalent to emission reductions, leading to 'mitigation deterrence'. It examines regulatory tools like emissions trading systems (ETS), tax credits, and public auctions, as well as voluntary carbon markets (VCMs). The authors conclude that CDR must be a complementary tool, not a substitute for decarbonization. They propose a policy framework based on three principles: precaution, 'do no significant harm' (DNSH), and the primacy of emission reductions. Key recommendations include separating emission reduction targets from CDR and land-based sequestration targets, implementing rigorous measurement, reporting, and verification (MRV) systems, and shifting from offsetting models to 'contributive approaches' or public procurement like reverse auctions.

• Existing CDR governance systems frequently encourage 'mitigation deterrence' by treating carbon removal and emission reductions as equivalent, which allows polluters to avoid deep decarbonization.
• The report defines 'real removal measures' as processes that extract CO2 from the atmosphere and store it permanently (ideally for 1,000 years), ensuring the amount removed exceeds the emissions generated by the process itself.
• Integrating CDR directly into emissions trading systems (ETS) is viewed as inherently flawed because it can either lower the price of carbon (if low-quality credits are used) or fail to support high-integrity, expensive removal methods.
• The authors propose a 'separation principle' where policymakers set three distinct targets: emission reductions (priority), land-based sequestration, and permanent removal.
• Public financing via reverse auctions is presented as a more transparent and effective alternative to voluntary markets, as it allows governments to manage demand and prioritize durability and social co-benefits over the lowest price.
• The US 45Q tax credit is criticized for lacking life-cycle analysis and environmental requirements, potentially supporting projects that increase net emissions or promote enhanced oil recovery.
• Voluntary Carbon Markets (VCMs) are dominated by non-permanent land-based removals; 99.9% of current atmospheric carbon extraction (approx. 2 GtCO2/year) is terrestrial, primarily afforestation and reforestation.
• The 'contributive approach' is recommended for the private sector, where companies fund CDR to support global climate action without claiming to offset their own emissions.
• A Carbon Takeback Obligation (CTBO) would force fossil fuel producers to permanently store carbon equivalent to the emissions generated by their products, internalizing the cost of pollution.
• The report emphasizes that any CDR policy must be grounded in three core principles: precaution, 'do no significant harm' (DNSH), and the primacy of emission reductions.

APA

De Simone, F., & Stoefs, W. (2023). Les besoins fondamentaux : Principes de base pour concevoir des politiques d’élimination du carbone raisonnables. Carbon Market Watch. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FR-CWF-paper-CDR-compliance-approaches.docx.pdf

Chicago

De Simone, Fabiola, and Wijnand Stoefs. Les besoins fondamentaux : Principes de base pour concevoir des politiques d’élimination du carbone raisonnables. Carbon Market Watch, 2023. https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FR-CWF-paper-CDR-compliance-approaches.docx.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=De Simone |first1=Fabiola |last2=Stoefs |first2=Wijnand |title=Les besoins fondamentaux : Principes de base pour concevoir des politiques d’élimination du carbone raisonnables |publisher=Carbon Market Watch |date=November 2023 |url=https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FR-CWF-paper-CDR-compliance-approaches.docx.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{desimone2023les, author = {De Simone, Fabiola and Stoefs, Wijnand}, title = {{Les besoins fondamentaux : Principes de base pour concevoir des politiques d’élimination du carbone raisonnables}}, institution = {Carbon Market Watch}, year = {2023}, month = nov, url = {https://carbonmarketwatch.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/FR-CWF-paper-CDR-compliance-approaches.docx.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }