Today, the Task Force on Negative Emissions (TNE) presented its Manifesto on Negative Emissions to the Dutch House of Representatives. The manifesto calls on the government to support and provide a stimulus for all technologies across all industries that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. TNE also seeks government help to create a market for negative emissions, recycled carbon, and related certificates. Furthermore, the manifesto calls on Minister Rob Jetten (Climate and Energy) to deliver on the long-promised roadmap toward negative emissions in partnership with the industry and based on verified statistical models, including avoided emissions. Agnes Mulder, Chair of the Standing Committee on Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, received the manifesto from TNE's founders: Marc Londo (Director at NVDE) and Marieke van der Werf (Chair of CCU-Alliantie).
We need to cut CO2 emissions
The need to cut CO2 emissions is immense. Removing large volumes of net CO2 from the atmosphere is inevitable at the national, European and global levels. Many businesses in the Netherlands, including startups, are ready to make a start on this. There are now numerous initiatives to capture and sequester atmospheric and biogenic CO2 in underground pools (BECCS), in products (BECCUS) and in Nature-based Solutions (NbS). The knowledge and technology needed for negative emissions are already available, but a scale-up is needed to achieve large-scale development.
Marieke van der Werf, Chair of CCU-Alliantie: "It's time to start seeing CO2 not just as a waste product, but rather as a resource. This also helps achieve negative emissions."
Marc Londo, a Director at NVDE, says: "Let's not waste any more time. Let's remove the CO2!"
Manifesto - an appeal to the government
More and more companies are basing their strategy for the coming years on the negative emissions route. However, the government has not yet formulated a policy vision, and the knowledge and experience among businesses about the application of CO2 capture and re-use are fragmented. TNE wants to change this and, in its manifesto, outlines what needs to be done. Firstly, the industry will share its knowledge and experience, provide a statistical substantiation for the intended CO2 reduction, and elaborate a development scenario. Secondly, TNE will ask the government to support and provide a stimulus for all technologies across all industries that remove CO2 from the atmosphere. Initially, by implementing the roadmap toward negative emissions in partnership with the industry, and based on verified statistical models, including avoided emissions. TNE is happy to contribute its knowledge and expertise to this process.
About the Task Force for Negative Emissions (TNE)
The Task Force for Negative Emissions (TNE) is an initiative of the Dutch Renewable Energy Association (NVDE) and CCU-Alliantie. Businesses and scientific institutions work within the Task Force to capture and sequester CO2 in products and processes, leading to avoided emissions and negative emissions. This leads in turn to reductions in CO2 in the atmosphere or - if the captured CO2 is removed directly from the atmosphere through direct air capture (DAC) or is from biogenic sources - to net negative emissions. In this respect, the energy transition goes hand-in-hand with the circular economy, where CO2 is a commodity that replaces fossil fuels. The goal of the Task Force is to put negative emissions higher on the agenda, share knowledge and experience, and accelerate policy measures.