The CDR Policy Scoop

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop , Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Jannick Buhl , Head of CCUS, CDR and Biomass at the Danish District Heating Association, to unpack what happened in Denmark’s highly anticipated CCS subsidy tender. Recorded in early February, the conversation examines why nine out of ten pre-qualified bidders withdrew from a tender worth nearly €4 billion , le...

Germany is emerging as one of Europe’s most active carbon removal markets - with new public funding, a growing startup ecosystem, and heavy industry exploring large-scale CDR. But can policy, infrastructure, and demand keep pace with ambition? In this special episode, Sebastian Manhart shares insights from a two-day CDR experience tour across Germany, featuring conversations with policymakers, res...

How will the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) handle carbon price paid abroad, and what does that mean for carbon removal and international carbon markets? The European Commission is now working on detailed rules for deducting a carbon price paid in third countries, including how carbon credits under compliance schemes and Article 6 of the Paris Agreement might be taken into account....

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme sit down for a second time with Alexia Kelly, Managing Director of the Carbon Policy and Markets Initiative at the High Tide Foundation, to unpack today’s messy carbon market governance landscape and what it really means for carbon removal. Over the past few years, carbon markets have been flooded with new initiatives, standa...

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Amir Lebdioui, Director of the TIDE Centre at the University of Oxford, to explore whether durable carbon dioxide removal can become a credible green industrialisation pathway for the Global South. Recorded on January 19, the conversation builds on a recent working paper authored by Sebastian Manhart and Raphael...

In this episode of The CDR Policy Scoop, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Sophie Wenger, Climate Policy Officer at the Federal Office for the Environment, for a deep dive into Switzerland’s approach to scaling carbon capture and removal. Recorded on January 12, the conversation explores how Switzerland is developing a holistic strategy for CCS and CDR, with a strong focus on CO₂ trans...

What is The CDR Policy Scoop really about and how did it come to be? In this special episode, the microphones are turned around. Producer Helen Lundebye steps out from behind the scenes and interviews co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart about the origins, evolution, and future of The Scoop. The conversation traces the show’s beginnings: from informal conversations and early LinkedIn Lives to...

Everyone agrees that the next phase of carbon removal will be shaped by policy, but which decisions will actually matter in 2026? Recorded in mid-December 2025, this forward-looking episode sees Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart each bring their top policy developments to watch in the year ahead. The discussion spans EU-level milestones like ETS integration and CRCF certification, country-level sign...

2025 was a year of real progress for carbon removal, but also one that exposed the limits of existing frameworks. In this end-of-year retrospective, Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart look back at the policy moments that most shaped carbon removal over the past twelve months. Each brings their own highs and lows to the table, reflecting different lenses on EU, international, and national developments...

Everyone agrees that carbon removal needs more buyers - but what will actually make that happen? At Carbon Unbound Europe (21–22 October), co-hosts Eve Tamme and Sebastian Manhart took the conversation offline and recorded a special set of in-person interviews exploring how buyers see the evolving CDR policy and market landscape. What’s working? Where are the challenges? And what do today’s buyers...

The EU is preparing to allow the use of international carbon credits towards its 2040 target, a major policy shift. At the same time, the EU is also establishing a domestic carbon crediting scheme: the CRCF. But this raises some important questions: ▪️ What kinds of credits should be eligible?  ▪️ How can the EU ensure integrity when engaging in international credits? ▪️ How do the PACM and t...

The European Commission has started fleshing out an EU Buyers’ Club to jump‑start demand for high‑quality CRCF credits in the voluntary market. The first closed‑door workshop took place in Brussels on 4th of December, with a series of follow‑up meetings planned over the next six months. In this episode, we speak with Robert Höglund, co‑founder of CDR.fyi and manager of the Milkywire Climate Transf...

COP30 is behind us with two weeks of intense negotiations, pledges, and a full Action Agenda. But now comes the REAL question: Did any of it *actually* move the needle for CDR? From political signals, to a mix of announcements, to the outcomes of different negotiation tracks, what does COP30 mean for the future of carbon removal deployment and governance? To unpack it all, we’re thrilled to welcom...

COP30 is in full swing, and carbon removal is drawing unprecedented attention. For the first time, the Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Initiative (CDR30) has launched a dedicated CDR Pavilion in the COP Blue Zone. Bringing together more than 60 organisations across the global CDR ecosystem, CDR30 represents a united community with a shared goal: to highlight CDR’s essential role in achieving global...

The SBTi has just published its second draft of the Net-Zero Standard v2 with important developments on carbon removals, and ISO is developing its own Net-Zero Standard.  These parallel processes are already causing quite a stir across the climate and business communities. Do we really need another standard? Will ISO’s approach move the needle or add to the confusion?  What will be the i...

What a whirlwind it has been in Europe. Over the last few days, we have seen the Council of the EU and the European Parliament's ENVI Committee agree on their positions on the EU 2040 Climate Target negotiations. From huge amounts of international credits, to a clear mandate for CDR, to a range of vague clauses: there is lots to unpack. Meanwhile, Ursula von der Leyen travelled to COP30 with a 203...

It’s that time of year again - COP30 is just around the corner. This year in Belém, Brazil, CDR has stepped up its game and will have its first-ever CDR Pavilion in the blue zone.  This was made possible by CDR30, the Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Initiative, consisting of a unified global CDR community of over 60 organisations across the ecosystem. Their mission: elevating CDR’s essential ro...

We all know that climate change is the greatest challenge of our generation, and for many of us, it’s our life’s work. If you’re like us, you spend most of your reading time on non-fiction - whether that’s endless reports, briefs, news, and feeds.  We have a refreshing new way to digest some of the heaviest topics in this climate fight.  The Carbon Paradox is a fictional book based on fa...

The IMO just paused its carbon price: What’s next for shipping, and will aviation follow suit? Just months after the world celebrated the first-ever global carbon price for the maritime sector, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) has now suspended it for one year. This came as a result of heavy pressure from the U.S., with smaller countries reportedly threatened with tariffs, sanctions,...

CDR Policy Scoop is back with a deep dive into one of the most consequential CDR policy reviews to date: the Independent Review of Greenhouse Gas Removals, led by Dr Alan Whitehead and published on October 23rd 2025. Almost 200 pages packed with fascinating insights on the future of UK CDR policy. To unpack what this means, Sebastian Manhart and Eve Tamme are joined by Georgia Berry, CDR Programme...

CDR Policy Scoop is proud to present the next SHOWDOWN in the first-ever live debate in a hybrid format — on stage and streamed live: Voluntary vs Compliance Markets. The race to scale carbon removal is on – but which market will get us there first? Voluntary buyers are moving billions, experimenting, and taking early risks. Compliance markets promise scale, rigour, and integration into national c...

What does the new Article 6.4 Standard on Non-Permanence and Reversals mean for carbon removal projects? It has just been adopted by the Supervisory Body after lengthy deliberations and a huge inflow of stakeholder comments. The new standard remains controversial. Some stakeholders welcome the adopted standard, given its improvements compared to the draft versions. Others highlight the negative im...

The EU carbon removal purchasing programme and potential integration of removals into the ETS have generated plenty of buzz. Yet these could just be a first step in a longer policy sequence. Could a CDR Compliance System be the north star to aim for in the longer term? Carbon Gap has just unveiled its new report looking at how to drive long-term demand for permanent carbon removals across Europe....

On 25 September, the European Commission convened its first Technical Workshop on Enhanced Rock Weathering (ERW) and Ocean Alkalinity Enhancement (OAE) under the Carbon Removal and Carbon Farming framework (CRCF). This marks the formal beginning of the journey toward EU recognition of these technologies. The context is clear: DACCS, BECCS, and biochar methodologies are soon settled, but permanent...

The EU’s 2040 Climate Target debate is heating up. At stake: whether to allow international carbon credits at all - and if so, how many and what kind. The European Union is split: some push to ban credits outright, while others want to allow plenty and as early as 2031. The current 3% proposal would mean up to 400 Mt of international credits by 2040. Such a volume could literally ignite whole indu...