Letter sent to the European Commission by 116 academics, businesses, civil society organisations and research institutions urging the EU to separate emissions reductions, land-based sequestration and permanent carbon removals in the EU’s post-2030 climate framework. This separation should be at the heart of both the setting and the implementation of the 2040 target and associated plans.

We urge EU policymakers to align with what the majority of respondents (54%) to the European Commission’s public consultation on the EU Climate Target for 2040 advocated for: three separate targets for greenhouse gas emissions reductions, land-based sequestration and permanent carbon removals.

In particular, at this stage, we call on the European Commission to place the principle of three distinct targets at the heart of its upcoming Communication on the EU climate target for 2040 and its accompanying impact assessment.

Furthermore, the Commission should uphold the separation approach in subsequent proposals surrounding the setting and implementation of the 2040 target, and the updated EU NDC.

Edit – In an earlier version of this document NORCE Norwegian Research Centre was listed as a signatory organisation due to an error. Senior researcher at NORCE Timothée Bourgeois has signed as an individual researcher, and not on behalf of the organisation.