Unconventional mitigation : carbon dioxide removal as a new approach in EU climate policy

Zusammenfassung: If the EU wants to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, enacting conventional climate change mitigation measures to avoid emissions of greenhouse gases will not be enough. To compensate for unavoidable residual emissions, unconventional measures to remove CO2 from the atmosphere will also be necessary - for example, through afforestation or the direct cap­ture of CO2 from ambient air. Not all member states and economic sectors will have achieved green­house gas neutrality by 2050; some will already need to be below zero by then. The option of CO2 removal from the atmosphere will allow greater flexibility in climate policy, but will also raise new distributional issues. Avoiding greenhouse gas emissions should be given political priority over the subsequent removal of CO2. Net zero targets should be explicitly divided into emission reduction targets and removal targets, instead of simply off­setting the effects of both approaches. The future development of an EU CO2 removal policy should be structured by adequate policy design. Whether the EU chooses a proactive or cautious entry pathway in the medium term will depend not least on the net nega­tive targets it assumes for the period after 2050. In the coming years, the EU should focus on investing more in research and development of CO2 removal methods and gaining more practical experience in their use. Only if the EU and its members actually succeed in convincingly combin­ing conventional emission reductions and unconventional CO2 removals to reach net zero will the EU be able to live up to its status as a pioneer in climate policy

Object Details

• Alternative title: Unkonventioneller Klimaschutz
• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: 1 Online-Ressource (35 Seiten)
• Language: Englisch
• Notes: Diagramme ; "Updated English version of SWP-Studie 10/2020"

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: SWP research paper / Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik ; 2020, 8 (June 2020) ; SWP research paper ; 2020, 8 (June 2020)

Classification and Topics

• Classification: Soziale Probleme, Sozialdienste, Versicherungen ; Natürliche Ressourcen, Energie und Umwelt
• Keyword: Europäische Union ; Mitgliedsstaaten ; Klimaschutz ; Internationale Kooperation ; Umweltpolitik ; Umweltschutz ; Maßnahme ; Durchsetzungsvermögen ; Politik ; Internationale Organisation ; Schadstoffemission ; Reduktion ; Rückgang ; Treibhausgas ; Entwicklung ; Tendenz ; Szenario

Contributors, Places and Time

• Event: Veröffentlichung
• (where): Berlin
• (who): SWP
• (when): [June 2020]
• Creator: Geden, Oliver ; Schenuit, Felix
• Contributor: Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik

Further information

• DOI: 10.18449/2020RP08
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2023112321564816239740
• Rights: Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.
• Last update: 25.03.2025, 1:50 PM CET