[Paris, April 4th2024]
The Association Française pour les Émissions Négatives (AFEN), or the French Association for Carbon Removal, is officially launching on April 4th in Paris to spearhead the development of a Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) industry in France. This pioneering initiative unites over 30 diverse members: buyers, suppliers and supporters committed to the urgent agenda of building a local CDR industry.
The imperative of carbon removal
AFEN is grounded in scientific consensus, based on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) stating that in order to limit global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels rapid and drastic emissions reduction is crucial, and also necessitates the removal of billions of tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere to mitigate the impacts of climate change and achieve carbon neutrality.
France for CDR and CDR for France – The time is now
France is the 6th largest global economy and a leader in innovation and technology. The French government’s dedication to driving global and local climate action, illustrated in the Stratégie Française Energie Climat and France’s involvement in international climate agreements, underscores the nation’s potential to pioneer technologies and practices including carbon removal. In that context, a diverse CDR portfolio will be needed to deliver on France’s ambition to secure its net zero goal by 2050 in light of a declining forest carbon sink whose capacities are threatened by the very same effects of climate change.
Globally the CDR industry is championed around the world with strong support in the US via the Inflation Reduction Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the carbon negative Shot and Pilot prize that are forming a wide array of public policies, public financing and public purchasing programs as well as in Germany, where CDR is currently under study to be included in the national climate plan and in the UK, with contract for difference driving deployment incentives. The launch of AFEN is an invitation to urgently bridge the gap and for all sectors to partake in the vital work of carbon removal. This collective action can harness France’s economic and innovative strengths, advancing towards a carbon-neutral future and position France as a leader.
« The establishment of the AFEN is an important milestone on France’s path to carbon neutrality. With the sector gearing up for its growth, the government must respond to support the emergence of CDR and maintain its climate leadership. » comments Sylvain Delerce, Associate Research Director at Carbon Gap, the leading European CDR non-profit.
« The launch of AFEN brings us one step closer to making the European Union the global leader for Carbon Removal. With the DVNE in Germany and the AFEN in France, Europe’s two biggest economies now have industry platforms to scale CDR to climate relevance. » Sebastian Manhart, Board Chair, Deutscher Verband für negative Emissionen (DVNE).
Join Our Mission for a Sustainable Future
By fostering the right stimulated ecosystem enhanced by rich industry-led advocacy, the ambition is to reach the double imperative of meeting climate goals and the opportunity to capture a local share of the nascent trillion $ CDR market. The focus will be on educating the multiple stakeholders to engage actively in CDR across public and private sectors, structure the emerging players and mobilize the policymakers to adopt conducive policies and integrate CDR in ambitious climate plans.
The association’s governance is led by Julie Gosalvez, former CMO at Climeworks, as board Chair, with Karim Rahmani, founder at Carbon-Impact and Quentin Servais-Laval, CDR expert and VP Finance & Operations, serving as Vice-Chair and Treasurer, respectively. Board members include a wide array of active CDR players and enjoy the support of non-profit organizations like Carbon Gap and the Negative Emissions platform. This collective effort is pivotal in developing, scaling, and implementing effective CDR solutions that are scientifically sound, socially equitable and economically viable.
Our diverse membership signifies a united front in this critical mission. The collaboration among buyers, suppliers, and supporters within AFEN amplifies our collective capability to drive meaningful progress in carbon removal. The launch event on April 4th gathers over 150 participants including suppliers from different methods, customers and the ecosystem.
Founding members include About Impact, Airfix, Avnos, Bloomineral, Carbon 1.5, Carbon Impact, Carbon Removal Partners, Carbon Time, Carbonfuture, CarbonLoop, CarbonX, ClimeRock, CrystalTrade, Fera Climate Technologies, Herbert Smith Freehills, Marble, Nautilus, NeoCarbon, NetZero, Neustark, NextGen CDR, Patch, Pronoe, Sinkco Labs, Sirona Tech, Stathmos, Sublime Energie, Terrawatt, Voltigital, Yama Carbon.
For more information or to become a member please visit our website or contact us.
