eLTER Releases First Policy Brief on Scaling Carbon Removal for Climate Neutrality

The eLTER Research Infrastructure has published its first policy brief Scaling Carbon Removal: Integrating Nature-Based and Technological Solutions for Climate Neutrality. This milestone highlights eLTER’s commitment to providing rigorous, policy-relevant scientific advice on urgent environmental challenges.

Climate change poses one of the greatest threats to Europe and the world, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) has become an essential component in efforts to achieve climate neutrality. The policy brief emphasizes that emission reductions alone are not enough —both nature-based and technological solutions must be rapidly scaled. While ecosystems such as forests, soils, and peatlands remain vital carbon sinks, they are increasingly under pressure and insufficient on their own. Technologies, including bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS), must therefore be developed and deployed alongside ecosystem-based measures.

Despite progress, current efforts remain inadequate. Natural sinks are declining in parts of Europe, reforestation programs fall short, and robust policy frameworks and monitoring systems are still missing. Without urgent action, the carbon budget for limiting warming to 1.5°C could be depleted within a decade.

The policy brief calls for a comprehensive approach that combines protecting and restoring ecosystems, accelerating technological innovation, embedding CDR into EU and national climate strategies, and establishing transparent carbon pricing and certification frameworks. Stronger monitoring, reporting, and verification systems, as well as collaboration between science, policy, industry, and civil society, are also essential.

As a European Research Infrastructure, eLTER stands ready to provide the long-term ecological data, interdisciplinary expertise, and collaborative platforms necessary to guide these efforts. By working closely with policymakers, the eLTER community aims to ensure that Europe’s pathways to climate neutrality are scientifically sound, socially just, and ecologically sustainable.

Read eLTER's policy brief: Scaling Carbon Removal: Integrating Nature-Based and Technological Solutions for Climate Neutrality