CO2RE Hosts the 3rd International Conference on Negative CO2 Emissions

Hundreds of people gathered in Oxford and online last month for the 3^rd International Conference on Negative CO₂ Emissions. The conference, hosted by the CO₂RE Hub, brought together researchers, businesses and policymakers for four days of dialogue on the scientific, social, commercial and policy dimensions of carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

 

The conference featured seven plenary sessions and 28 parallel sessions ranging from highly technical presentations on CDR methods to discussions of moral hazard and the implications of CDR for social justice. It came just two weeks after the launch of the new State of CDR report. Many of its authors attended the event.

Urgent questions

 

Over the course of the conference, the interdisciplinarity of CDR research was on full display. There was plenty of opportunity for discussion and debate: are some CDR methods more effective than others? Could some potentially cause harm to people and the environment? How can we ensure that CDR does not become an excuse to keep emitting greenhouse gases? What can we do to scale up and deploy CDR rapidly? Once CDR is deployed, how do we measure the results?

The business of CDR

 

One of the main goals of the conference was to bring together researchers and businesses working on climate innovation. Following the business-themed plenary on the morning of Day 3, 20 organisations from around the world – including the UK, Europe, India, South Africa and the United States – took part in the Climate Innovators Showcase.  These organisations are driving innovation in the greenhouse gas removal (GGR) sector by developing and deploying technologies and related products and services. Companies developing land-based, industrial and marine-based GGR methods were represented, as were GGR investors and developers of monitoring, reporting and verification, ratings and consultancy services. For example, attendees were able to view the construction of 1PointFive’s latest direct air capture facility and handle combined biochar and rock dust samples used by Aquagel (Pty) Ltd on agricultural land in Africa. They had the opportunity to network with scientists, engineers and others working in these organisations.

Monitor, report, verify

 

We know that CDR needs to be urgently scaled up if we are to limit the rise in global temperatures in line with the Paris Agreement. One of the most difficult challenges facing the CDR industry is determining optimal approaches for the monitoring, reporting and verification (MRV) of CDR methods. The Smart-CDR Competition, launched on Day 2 of the conference, invites university students anywhere in the world to form teams to develop innovative ways of undertaking MRV. Mission Innovation, the competition organisers, hope to catalyse MRV development so that it is easier for the CDR sector to scale up.

“Goodbye Greenhouse Gas!” and Envisioning GGR

 

While the focus of the conference was scientific research and its implementation, CO₂RE also wanted to engage members of the public, share knowledge, and amplify dialogue about GGR in a creative way. Research has shown that public awareness of, and familiarity with, GGR is currently very low. As a way of beginning to address this, we held an evening event at Oxford’s Old Fire Station, a community arts centre, inviting students, climate activists and local residents to join us in saying “Goodbye Greenhouse Gas!”. The event was multi-format, with a variety of interactive exhibits and activities co-organised by CO2RE and our partner projects in the GGR-D Programme, emerging researchers and start-ups in the GGR space, the GGR Future Leaders Network, and Woven Ink Art Studio.

 

The café at the venue was lit up by a fantastic selection of shortlisted photographs and illustrations from Visions for GGR, an image competition we organised in the run-up to the conference in June. We invited submissions in two categories: (1) Capturing GGR, asking photographers to depict removals methods and practices as they exist, and (2) Envisioning GGR, asking designers or illustrators to envision how climate futures may be shaped by removals. Winners were announced on the last day of the conference.

A little stardust at the closing plenary

 

After four days of fantastic presentations and discussions, it was time to draw things to a close – but first, a few surprises! We were treated to a teaser trailer of the forthcoming film Legion 44, a feature-length documentary on CDR. Leila Conners, who directed the film, joined us remotely from her home in the United States to answer questions about the film and discuss her longstanding interest in CDR. She is a Hollywood director and producer who directed The 11^th Hour, Leonardo DiCaprio’s 2007 film about climate change.

 

There was more in store after that sprinkle of Hollywood stardust. Moving from the world of film to the world of politics, we welcomed COP26 President and former MP Sir Alok Sharma to say a few words. Sir Alok pressed us all to demand faster climate action from our leaders. “Please,” he said, “keep fighting the good fight”.

Next stop: Vienna

 

As we waved goodbye to the 3^rd International Conference on Negative CO₂ Emissions, we were already looking ahead to the 4^th. The next conference will be hosted by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in 2026 in Vienna.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make the conference in Oxford such a success. A huge thank you to all our attendees (whether in-person or online), our volunteers, our staff, the staff at the venues, our plenary speakers and panellists, and so many more. Over to you, IIASA!

But wait – there’s more

 

Watch all of the plenary sessions on our YouTube channel.

Visit our Flickr page for photos from the conference and “Goodbye Greenhouse Gas!” event.

Follow our Instagram account for content from the conference, image competition and public event, as well as the wider CO₂RE Hub.

Check out the #NegativeCO2Conference hashtag on X.

Read Carbon Brief’s comprehensive write-up.

Take a look at Robert Höglund’s conference “mega-thread” on X for session content, personal reflections and photos.

 

Cover photo by Andrew Bailey.