This year’s edition of the Carbon Dioxide Removal France Days, orchestrated by AFEN (Association Française pour les Émissions Négatives) at BCG’s Paris offices, marked a pivotal moment in France’s climate action journey.
The event successfully convened 200 leaders from across the carbon removal ecosystem, including industry pioneers, key policymakers, and major French corporations, demonstrating the potential for the industry and AFEN’s crucial role in catalyzing France’s carbon removal sector.
A Milestone Event for France’s Carbon Removal Future
The two-day conference served as a platform for advancing carbon removal solutions in the fight against climate change. Through thoughtfully selected speakers and topics, AFEN fostered discussions that highlighted the need for teamwork, innovation, and concrete action to scale carbon removal efforts in France and beyond.
Here are the main insights from this significant event:
1. Balancing Act: Carbon Removal and Emission Cuts
« While we focus during these two days on carbon removal, it’s important to remember that reducing emissions is a critical part of the puzzle, » emphasized Julie Gosalvez, AFEN’s president and event host. Her message aligned with the IPCC’s clear message: we need both aggressive emissions cuts and scaled carbon removal strategies to tackle climate change.
2. Working Together Across Sectors
AFEN’s approach to building partnerships was clear throughout the event, with speakers highlighting how important it is to work across industries. Amine Benayad from BCG put it well: « We strongly believe that an ecosystemic approach is essential. We will never achieve anything alone. Everything we can do alone is to fail. »
3. Why We Need to Act Now
The need to scale carbon removal solutions quickly was a central theme. François Triclin from BCG captured this perfectly: « The best time to develop the CDR market would have been 30 years ago. It wasn’t really done. It wasn’t the priority. So, the second-best time is today. »
Andrew Shebbeare from Counteract venture capital fund pointed out an important gap: « Europe is behind North America, and France is behind Europe. » Carbon Gap’s latest report, presented by Sylvain Delerce, showed France will need to remove about 70 million tons of CO2 yearly in 2050 to meet its climate targets.
4. France’s Strengths in Carbon Removal
AFEN sees clear advantages that position France well in the carbon removal sector:
- A low-carbon energy grid
- Strong industrial and engineering capabilities
- Top research institutions
- A solid economic foundation
During day one, Benjamin Tincq from Marble and Cara Maesano from the Rocky Mountain Institute explored how French companies could build carbon removal into their operations, showing practical ways to move forward.
5. Progress in the French Market
Day two showed how AFEN is helping build a strong carbon removal ecosystem, with presentations from six project developers working in France. We saw growing interest from investors too, with Marie-Laure Mazaud from STOA Infra & Energy, François Pasquier from SWEN Capital Partners, and Fabienne Moimaux from BNP Paribas sharing insights from their recent investments in carbon removal solutions.
On the policy front, rich exchanges with representatives from around the world showed how different jurisdictions tackle the CDR challenge: using tax incentives as highlighted by Noah Deich from the US DoE, or taking a more regulatory approach like the EU as explained by Fabien Ramos from the European Commission DG Clima. Other countries are also acting: the work in Germany, where policymakers are currently drafting a national CDR strategy, was highlighted by Jörg Rüger from the Climate and Economy Ministry.
Finally, in France, the general framework is in place thanks to the SNBC2 (and soon 3), as Frédéric Branger of the DGEC pointed out, and funding is being put in place for start-ups, according to Johan Caux of BPI France.
What’s Next: Priorities for 2025
The discussions outlined three key areas to focus on next year:
- National Strategy Development: Creating France’s first comprehensive carbon removal strategy
- Public Funding: Working to increase government support for research and scaling carbon removal programs
- Business Engagement: Getting more companies involved, especially CAC 40 companies and private investors, to help advance CDR solutions and shape this new industry
Thank You to Our Partners
CDR France Days 2024 succeeded thanks to our partners: BCG, Carbon Gap, Carbon Removal Partners, CarbonX, Herbert Smith Freehills, and the Negative Emissions Platform. Their support shows exactly the kind of teamwork that AFEN wants to encourage in building France’s carbon removal ecosystem.
Join Us
The energy from CDR France Days 2024 has set a strong foundation for France’s carbon removal future. Here’s how to stay involved:
- Check out the event photos: CDR France Days Photos
- Work with AFEN: Sign up to join AFEN here, or contact us to learn about partnership opportunities
