Actions required to secure the large-scale deployment of the leading CDR approaches to meet EU climate targets

Project Information

C-Sink

Grant agreement ID: 101080377

DOI

10.3030/101080377

EC signature date 17 May 2023

Start date 1 June 2023

End date 31 May 2027

Funded under

• Climate, Energy and Mobility

Total cost

€ 5 288 925,00

EU contribution

€ 5 288 925,00

Coordinated by

FUNDACION ICAMCYL
Spain

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - C-Sink (Actions required to secure the large-scale deployment of the leading CDR approaches to meet EU climate targets)

Reporting period: 2023-06-01 to 2024-11-30

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

Due to a lack of regulation and high-quality standards on CDR, C-SINK aims to establish the foundations to build a standardized and transparent European CDR market with trustworthy accounting methodologies based on robust MRV pre-standards and policy strategies, reaching a TRL8.
In addition, C-SINK expects to assess (a) the viability (technological, legal, political, social, economic, and environmental) of a range of emerging and existing nature-based and engineered CDR methods, and their synergies in different combinations; and (b) what needs to be done to ensure their rapid large-scale deployment, including recommendations for policy and MRV development.
The role of social sciences and humanities is crucial. Therefore, C-SINK is working on an integral methodology of the various CDR technologies. This approach consists of (a) a social impact and acceptability analysis; (b) an environmental impact assessment; and (c) a total economic value analysis.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

In M1-M18 C-SINK has 1) defined gaps in current technical knowledge and barriers to wider acceptance of seven CDR approaches (fully completed in WP2), 2) contributed to effective and reliable CDR accounting systems and their standardization through the development of trialled pre-standards for the elements of MRV (started by WP3 to be completed in next period reports ), 3) developed efficient regulatory frameworks to support CDR deployment uptake at scale in which a deep review and analysis regarding relevant existing regulatory frameworks and mechanisms, providing recommendations to support the development of legal and governance policy for CDR at the EU level (started by WP4 and ongoing), 4) gathered data on social, techno-economic, and environmental assessment of the CDRs in seven case study locations to evaluate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria related to individual CDR technologies have been carried out in WP5 as well as 5) laying the foundations for the total economic assessment of seven CDR approaches in which a comprehensive review in terms of cost based on the highest TRL deployment currently available in the literature has been compiled and analyzed in WP2 to be fed to WP5, 6) 7 CDR technologies promoted by engaging key stakeholders and increasing public acceptability are actions that have been executed by WP6.
Additionally, C-SINK has 1) carried out 2 technical workshops focusing on biochar and enhanced weathering CDR technologies, 2) organised an online workshop entitled “From here to where? Developing the CDR Legal Landscape in the EU”, and focused on analyzing the barriers inhibiting, and the factors promoting CDR sector growth, 3) published 2 high impact journal articles, and 4) launched a learning material related to biological fixation as a CDR solution.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

C-SINK has delivered a CDR common framework for seven CDR-T for their characterization, comparison, and the barriers to their deployment definition. C-SINK has also started working on generating and disseminating a deep understanding of CDR approaches and their consequential potential impacts based on setting the methodology for the social, technoeconomic, and environmental impact. Moreover, C-SINK has started setting up the methodology and basis to carry out the cost parametrization and estimations for seven case studies using different CDR options, as a function of time at the current scale and projections for upscaled CDR or large deployment. In addition, C-SINK has contributed to supporting climate policies through an enhanced understanding of existing and emerging carbon dioxide removal options and supporting climate models and integrated assessment models through an improved parametrization of these technologies and solutions.
C-SINK has identified further research and new businesses around the potential CDR technologies synergies and its commercialization. C-SINK has also engaged key stakeholders and organizations out of the C-SINK Consortium around CDR technologies which likely could implement methodologies developed within the C-SINK project in the future.

C-SINK M12 meeting

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C-SINK EKOLIVE pilot