Quantifying and Deploying Responsible Negative Emissions in Climate Resilient Pathways

The quantitative potential, effectiveness and impacts of negative emission technologies and practices (NETPs), particularly taking into account relevant disciplines such as sustainability, socio-political and socio-economic sciences, are not so well understood. Based on a multi-discipline approach, with world-leading experts that can show proven track records in technological, economic and socio-political disciplines, NEGEM will go beyond the perspectives of climate physics and climate economics currently providing the basis for climate scenario modelling. The novel approach of NEGEM is the focus on a real-world perspective, where the theoretical potential of NETPs will be filtered through a range of key performance indicators relevant to biogeochemical cycles, ecosystems and planetary boundaries, resource economies, societal dimensions, social acceptability, technological opportunities and constraints, multi-level governance, and the sustainability transition. Through this, NEGEM will address to what extent NETPs are required to achieve climate neutrality and how their associated technical, economic and socio-political impacts potentially limit their contribution. The result is a comprehensive analysis of the realistic, sustainably deployable potential of NETPs supporting EU’s endeavours to implement the Paris Agreement within the frames of relevant UN Sustainable Development Goals. The NEGEM analysis will feed into a comprehensive framework with guidance on how to create, select, analyse and disseminate pathways with NETPs. This framework will be used to identify a set of pathways to achieve climate neutrality, which helps lay the basis for the medium-to-long term vision needed to support EU’s endeavours to implement the PA within the context of relevant SDGs. NEGEM will dedicate specific efforts to reaching out to key stakeholders, in particular to policymakers at national and EU levels, but also to key international stakeholders, including developing countries.