Negative emissions deployment in the European Union is needed to compensate for residual emissions and to deliver net-negative emissions. Net-negative emissions reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, thereby directly affecting the main driver of climate change.
This scoping paper explores the different concepts relevant to discussing negative emissions in an EU policy context, starting with the scientific basis described by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and discusses different ways negative emissions technologies can be categorized, and the potential trade-offs associated with their deployment. It will form the basis of an upcoming policy paper on how the EU should approach negative emissions in its climate policy framework.