Greenhouse gas removals: call for evidence
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Detail of outcome
Along with our wider research, analysis, and stakeholder engagement, the evidence and views we received through the call for evidence have been used to inform the development of government policy on GGRs.
In the Net zero strategy, the government set out the following commitments on greenhouse gas removals:
- set the ambition of deploying at least 5MtCO2 per year of engineered removals by 2030, in line with Committee on Climate Change and National Infrastructure Commission assessments
- deliver £100 million innovation funding for direct air capture and other GGRs
- develop markets and incentives for investment in greenhouse gas removal methods, by consulting on our preferred business models to incentivise early investment in GGRs in 2022
- launch a call for evidence exploring the role of the UK Emissions Trading Scheme as a potential long-term market for GGRs
- explore options for regulatory oversight to provide robust monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of GGRs, following the recommendations of the BEIS-led MRV Task & Finish Group involving experts from industry and academia
- seek an amendment to the Climate Change Act to enable engineered removals to contribute to UK carbon budgets
This summary of responses is part of a wider package of policy documents on GGRs published in conjunction with the net zero strategy, which also includes:
- an updated assessment of GGR methods and their potential deployment in the UK, conducted for BEIS by Element Energy and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- the findings of a study on potential commercial frameworks for first-of-a-kind Power BECCS, conducted for BEIS by Element Energy and Vivid Economics.
- the final report of the Task and Finish Group on GGR MRV.
We received 101 unique responses from a wide range of stakeholders, including:
- GGR developers
- non-governmental organisations
- research institutes
- trade associations
- academics
- members of the public
Original call for evidence
Call for evidence description
This call for evidence aims to strengthen the government’s evidence base on greenhouse gas removals (GGRs).
GGRs are likely to make a contribution to the UK’s net zero ambition, but many GGR methods are at an early stage of maturity and are not yet ready to be deployed at scale.
We invite evidence and views on:
- the viability of different GGRs in the UK – including technology readiness, cost, deployment potential, lifecycle emissions, and wider constraints to deployment
- the role of government in addressing market barriers and stimulating the development and deployment of GGRs
- supporting policies needed to enable deployment and scale-up, such as a robust framework for monitoring, reporting and verification of negative emissions
This builds on the Vivid Economics study on greenhouse gas removal policy options, published by BEIS in 2019.
We welcome views and information from a wide range of stakeholders with an interest in GGRs, such as:
- developers
- researchers
- investors
- academics
- social scientists
- accreditation bodies
- think tanks
The information we receive will help to inform the government’s future policy in this area.
See the BEIS consultation privacy notice.
Please do not send responses by post to the department at the moment as we may not be able to access them.
Documents
Last updated 19 October 2021 + show all updates
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Added summary of responses and next steps.
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First published.