Carbon Removals are activities that remove and durably store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.The European Council yesterday gave the final green light to a Regulation establishing the first EU-wide certification framework for permanent carbon removals, carbon farming and carbon storage in products.
This voluntary framework will facilitate and encourage high-quality land-based carbon removal and emission reduction activities in the EU, complementing sustainable emission reductions.
Carbon sinks and emissions reduction from land
The Regulation will be the first step towards introducing a comprehensive certification framework for carbon removals and emission reductions from land into EU legislation.
It will help the EU achieve its goal of climate neutrality by 2050.
The Regulation covers the following activities across the EU:
-
permanent carbon sinks that capture and store atmospheric or biogenic carbon for several centuries (e.g. bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, direct capture and storage of atmospheric carbon)
-
carbon sequestration activities that capture and store carbon in long-lived products for at least 35 years (such as wood-based building products)
-
Carbon Farming activities that improve carbon sequestration and storage in forests and soils or that reduce greenhouse gas emissions from soil carried out over a period of at least five years (e.g. reforestation, restoration of peatlands or wetlands, improved use of fertilisers).
Criteria for certification
To be certified , carbon sequestration activities will have to meet four general criteria:
-
lead to a quantified net benefit in terms of carbon sequestration or in terms of reduction of emissions from land
-
be additional, in the sense that they must go beyond the regulatory obligations at the level of the individual operator and require the incentive effect of certification to become financially sustainable
-
aim to ensure long-term carbon storage while minimising the risk of carbon release
-
not cause significant harm to the environment and be able to bring co-benefits in relation to one or more sustainability objectives
Furthermore, activities eligible for certification will need to be independently verified by third-party certification bodies.
Certification systems
To demonstrate compliance with the Regulation, operators will have certification systems in place.
These will be subject to robust and transparent monitoring, verification and reporting rules , with the aim of promoting trust in the system and ensuring environmental integrity.
Accountability mechanisms will also be established for operators to address any release of captured carbon into the atmosphere.
EU Register
Four years after the entry into force of the Regulation, the Commission will set up an EU-wide electronic registry to ensure transparency and full traceability of the so-called certified units, which will be issued to reflect the net carbon benefit generated by certified carbon removal and land emission reduction activities.
Next steps
The Regulation will be published in the Official Journal of the EU and will enter into force 20 days after its publication, becoming directly applicable in all EU Member States.
Context
On 30 November 2022, as a first important step towards further integrating carbon removals into EU climate policy, the Commission proposed a Regulation establishing a voluntary EU framework to certify high-quality carbon removals.
The Council adopted its negotiating mandate at Coreper level on 17 November 2023, while the European Parliament defined its position on 21 November 2023. After three rounds of negotiations, the EU co-legislators reached an agreement on the final form of the regulation on 20 February 2024. (Source: https://r.newsletter.consilium.europa.eu/ )