Germany's Ministry of Economics and Climate is formulating a long-term strategy to achieve negative emissions, including substantial CO2 removal from the atmosphere. In a draft document set to be presented later this year, the ministry underscores the need for a strategy beyond achieving the country's net-zero greenhouse gas emissions target by 2045. The draft highlights the urgency of continuous CO2 removal, given the depletion of the global CO2 budget to limit warming to 1.5°C by 2030, as indicated by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).
While aiming for CO2 neutrality, the ministry acknowledges that residual emissions in sectors like industry and agriculture will persist under a net-zero strategy. Approximately 5% of greenhouse gases from 1990 levels, estimated at 63 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent annually, must be removed. The draft proposes using direct air carbon capture, utilization, and storage (DACCU/S), along with traditional methods like enhanced natural carbon sinks, soil management, biomass production, marine biomass, and waste carbon capture, utilization, and storage.
The negative emission strategy is expected to establish interim targets for technical carbon sinks in Germany's climate law for 2035, 2040, and 2045. However, uncertainties arise regarding the feasibility of direct air capture technologies, as they require storage solutions similar to traditional carbon capture and storage (CCS), a concept Germany has previously abstained from on land.
The government's push for CCS offshore faced resistance, with concerns raised about financing infrastructure with tax money amid competing priorities for climate protection measures. Germany is aligning its approach with other countries like Denmark, targeting a 110% emission reduction by 2050, the UK with plans for technical removal of 5 million tons of CO2 per year from 2030, and the US promoting CO2 removal through initiatives like the 'carbon negative shot'.
The EU is also expected to clarify the role of negative emissions in its climate target determination for 2040. The German government aims to present a comprehensive evaluation of negative emission methods, along with proposals for monitoring, certification, economic incentives, and integration into the EU's emission trading system.