COP30: Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

Recommendations

• Raise CDR in climate negotiations. Define the appropriate balance and role of carbon dioxide removal as a key complement to emissions reduction.
• Clarify levels and roles. Define what is meant by “hard-to-abate emissions” and set clear targets for the balance between reductions and removals.
• Set quantitative targets. Establish concrete goals for carbon removal (negative emission technologies), covering both nature-based and technological solutions.
• Establish national targets. Norway should aim for at least 500 000 tonnes of CO₂ removal annually by 2030 and build equivalent storage capacity on the continental shelf.
• Standardise methodologies. Develop international rules for verification, measurement and reporting of CDR.
• Increase financing. Require that countries with large historical emissions contribute financially to the development and deployment of CDR solutions.

Current situation

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) reduce emissions from fossil sources but does not remove carbon already released into the atmosphere. To stabilise the climate, we must also extract CO₂ from the atmosphere, oceans and soils and store it permanently — a process known as carbon dioxide removal (CDR) — to prevent it from re-entering the natural carbon cycle.

The greenhouse gases already emitted have raised atmospheric CO₂ concentrations above 420 ppm, far exceeding the pre-industrial level of 280 ppm. At 450 ppm, the risk of surpassing 2 °C of warming increases significantly, leading to severe and potentially irreversible climate impacts. The IPCC estimates that around 6 billion tonnes of CO₂ must be removed globally each year to keep warming below 1.5 °C.

Certain sectors are particularly difficult to decarbonise — including agriculture, heavy industry, and long-distance transport such as aviation and shipping. These sectors will likely continue to emit CO₂ even by 2050, despite major technological progress.

At the same time, the development of CDR is lagging behind. There are few international incentives to promote such solutions, and standards for measurement, verification and reporting of removed carbon are lacking. While the United States and Sweden have begun implementing CDR policies, the concept remains weakly embedded in international climate negotiations.

It is important to recognise that the potential for CDR is limited. The availability of biomass for CDR is constrained by biodiversity and land-use considerations, while removing CO₂ directly from air or seawater is extremely energy-intensive. Capturing and storing CO₂ from energy-intensive industrial processes will always be more efficient than removing it from the atmosphere or ocean. Preventing emissions in the first place is less costly and more effective than removing them afterwards — yet CDR will still be essential as a supplement to emission reductions, particularly in combination with existing CCS infrastructure.

Solution

The UN and the IPCC both emphasise that removing large amounts of CO₂ from the atmosphere and oceans is necessary to limit global warming and achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement. To realise this, we need sustainable, cost-effective and measurable solutions supported by research, innovation and international cooperation.

CDR must be integrated into international climate negotiations, with clear guidelines and standardisation for verification, measurement and reporting. The UN should assume a leading role to ensure that the development of CDR is sustainable and equitable.

Increased funding is required for research and development of new CDR technologies and solutions to deliver the innovations needed for large-scale carbon removal. Countries with the greatest historical emissions should take responsibility by earmarking funding for the development and implementation of CDR solutions.

Norway should take the initiative to elevate CDR in international climate discussions and clarify its future role. No concrete quantitative targets have yet been established to define the share of fossil CO₂ emissions that must be reduced versus the share that must be removed through CDR. It is also essential to identify the sectors where emission reductions will not be technically or economically feasible.

For Norway, the Environment Agency (Miljødirektoratet) has assessed different scenarios and used 1 million tonnes of CO₂ removal per year as an indicative figure for 2030. This is a relatively new field with great need for research and innovation — and action is urgent. Norway is a global leader in CCS development and is well positioned to leverage synergies between CCS and CDR while taking a leadership role in CDR technology development. Strengthening collaboration with other Nordic countries — Sweden, Denmark and Iceland — which are also active in CDR innovation, is strongly recommended.