ABSTRACT

Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) will be necessary to fulfil the hundreds of pledges to reach net-zero by 2050. As with any industry, standard methodologies and certification are crucial to guarantee successful and reliable activities. However, buyers and policymakers currently face challenges in evaluating the ecosystem of CDR certification. The issue is not with CDR, nor with individual certifications – some of which may be very robust – but with the lack of transparency in the overall ecosystem. To bring some clarity, we present a snapshot of the CDR certification and standards ecosystem for the year 2021–2022. We find a complex ecosystem with at least 30 standard developing organizations proposing at least 125 standard methodologies for carbon removal from 23 different CDR activities and selling 27 different versions of certification instruments in voluntary and compliance markets. This exercise reveals many more existing standards for nature-based than for engineering-based activities and more diversity from standards serving the voluntary rather than the compliance market. It also highlights a proliferation of standards for the same activity, and a plethora of activities without standards. The process revealed ambiguity on what constitutes carbon removal, with many standards certifying activities that remove CO₂ already in the environment as well as activities that avoid or reduce new emissions by sequestering the carbon into reservoirs. This mapping highlights key gaps and potential starting points for reforms to strengthen the CDR certification industry; it also underscores the need for independent oversight.

Key policy insights

• The CDR certification ecosystem is complex and evolving rapidly, raising questions about oversight and quality.

• Targeted support would be necessary for the timely development of standards for nascent but promising CDR activities, and oversight would be required to ensure the quality of certification.

• Ensuring a minimum quality would require clarifying the treatment of emission reduction, removal, and avoidance, amongst other concerns.

中文翻译：

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二氧化碳去除认证和标准生态系统概览（2021-2022 年）

摘要

二氧化碳去除 (CDR) 将是实现到 2050 年实现净零排放的数百个承诺所必需的。与任何行业一样，标准方法和认证对于保证成功和可靠的活动至关重要。然而，买家和政策制定者目前在评估 CDR 认证生态系统方面面临挑战。问题不在于 CDR，也不在于个人认证——其中一些可能非常强大——而是整个生态系统缺乏透明度。为了清楚起见，我们提供了 2021-2022 年 CDR 认证和标准生态系统的快照。我们发现一个复杂的生态系统，其中至少有 30 个标准制定组织提出了至少 125 种标准方法，用于从 23 种不同的 CDR 活动中去除碳，并在自愿和合规市场销售 27 种不同版本的认证工具。这项工作揭示了基于自然的现有标准多于基于工程的活动的现有标准，以及服务于自愿而非合规市场的标准的更多多样性。它还强调了同一活动的标准激增，以及大量没有标准的活动。该过程揭示了关于什么构成碳去除的模糊性，许多标准证明了去除二氧化碳的活动 这项工作揭示了基于自然的现有标准多于基于工程的活动的现有标准，以及服务于自愿而非合规市场的标准的更多多样性。它还强调了同一活动的标准激增，以及大量没有标准的活动。该过程揭示了关于什么构成碳去除的模糊性，许多标准证明了去除二氧化碳的活动 这项工作揭示了基于自然的现有标准多于基于工程的活动的现有标准，以及服务于自愿而非合规市场的标准的更多多样性。它还强调了同一活动的标准激增，以及大量没有标准的活动。该过程揭示了关于什么构成碳去除的模糊性，许多标准证明了去除二氧化碳的活动₂已经存在于环境中，以及通过将碳封存到水库中来避免或减少新排放的活动。此映射突出了加强 CDR 认证行业改革的关键差距和潜在起点；它还强调了独立监督的必要性。

主要政策见解

• CDR 认证生态系统复杂且发展迅速，引发了有关监督和质量的问题。

• 有针对性的支持对于及时制定新的但有希望的 CDR 活动的标准是必要的，并且需要监督以确保认证的质量。

• 确保最低质量需要澄清减排、清除和避免等问题的处理。