Photo by Christian Lue on Unsplash The European Commission has finally unveiled its long-awaited 2040 climate target proposal. As the EU develops its path to climate neutrality by 2050, we’re now entering the next phase of the climate policy journey. The proposal doesn’t surprise in terms of the headline target but introduces complex questions around its three flexibility mechanisms. This blog post analyses all these in detail. Setting the Scene

This blog post has been co-authored with Asger Strange Olesen, Member of the EU Carbon Removal Expert Group and AFOLU Policy aficionado since 2009. Photo by Viktor Hesse on Unsplash The latest farmer protests in numerous European capitals, the (hopefully soon) adopted Nature Restoration Law, and the need to scale up carbon removal to meet climate targets have all contributed to bringing the land sector to the forefront of discussions. 

This post has been co-authored with Paul Zakkour, Director at Carbon Counts. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash The provisional agreement on the EU’s Carbon Removal Certification Framework (CRCF) has been hailed as the first of its kind, a milestone for scaling carbon removal and potentially a foundation of a gold standard for carbon removal certification globally. Yet there are some doubts over its actual political utility, and questions remain

Photo by Alexandre Lallemand on Unsplash The European Commission has published its vision for the European Union 2040 climate target, including general recommendations for getting there. Let’s have a closer look at some of the elements regarding the recommended target, notably its context, scope, design, and relevant processes. The context 2023 was the crucial year informing the work that is now in front of us. The Commission Communication, titled “Europe’s

Photo by Aleksey Smagin on Unsplash When going into COP28, my eyes were on three agenda items most likely to provide further guidance on carbon removal, carbon capture and carbon markets — the first global stocktake, markets under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement, and the mitigation work programme. This blog post explores the outcome of the international climate negotiations at COP28 on these topics. Next to the formal negotiations