Policy in RESCUE

Carbon dioxide removal (CDR) is considered to be “unavoidable” in order to meet the climate goals of achieving net zero CO2 or greenhouse gas emissions, as it can counterbalance hard-to-abate residual emissions from industries such as transport, energy, and agriculture. Emissions reductions measures alone would not be sufficient to meet climate goals -- CO2 will also need to be removed from the atmosphere, on a scale never previously attempted or achieved, of around 10 GtCO2 a year by 2050 to reach net-zero CO2 emissions.

However, both “natural” and “technological” or “engineered” CDR methods are underrepresented in the global political agenda and current climate policy. According to the State of CDR Report, many new technological CDR methods are emerging with potential but are still underdeveloped and must be rapidly scaled up to meet net zero emissions goals.

The journey toward carbon neutrality necessitates continuous engagement between the scientific community, the policy sphere, and societal needs. To this end, a key element of the RESCUE project is to foster science-policy dialogue, and to integrate the latest scientific insights into scenarios with different CDR methods, ensuring their seamless integration into policy frameworks aimed at achieving climate neutrality. 

RESCUE aims to ensure that the latest scientific knowledge and insights regarding CDR methods and their impact on the Earth's system are effectively communicated and integrated into policy frameworks. Thus, a policy mapping exercise was conducted and the current policy landscape in Europe and beyond was assessed. The conducted CDR policy mapping will help us understand the policy landscape that can potentially foster CDR developments in the EU and will be further developed and updated according to the latest insights.

Furthermore, RESCUE is working to enable a science-policy dialogue through a range of activities, such as policy workshops and roundtables, side events at COP, as well as policy briefs.

Find more information about RESCUE's policy-related activities below: