A UNIQUE PARTNERSHIP

The Global CDR Action Network (CDRANet, pronounced see-drah-net) is a global partnership between countries, industries and institutions who are working together to create workable global policy for removing carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere at scale. This network is unique and vital in five key respects:

  1. CDRANet is focusing only on removing carbon dioxide from the Earth’s atmosphere. There are many important related issues to consider, of course, but the central goal of CDRANet is to develop realistic, sustainable, and immediately actionable CDR policies.
  2. This network is policy focused. Our goal isn’t endless debate, but actual policies than can be used now to start building our global CDR capacity.
  3. We are global. Every country has their own ideas and priorities, but atmospheric CO2 removal is going to require global cooperation and collaboration. This network brings together a wide range of global actors who are willing to work together now and directly.
  4. We are empowered for action. Network delegates are high level representatives of their countries and institutions, in a position of authority to develop policy and not only debate details. And finally,
  5. Our work is ongoing. The network has two main components: ongoing, high-level conversations, and the ongoing work that flows from what this network creates,

OVERSIGHT

CDRANet is managed by the Science Communication Institute (SCI), a US-based 501c3 nonprofit public charity. SCI has extensive experience in international science communication diplomacy, having led the global Open Scholarship Initiative (OSI) alongside UNESCO from 2015-2024. Several oversight and working groups also exist within CDRANet.

process

CDRANet’s work is centered around helping stakeholders succeed by:

  • Converging expertise across disciplines, countries, and sectors
  • Clarifying the policy landscape through the creation of shared frameworks
  • Supporting alignment through coordinated dialogue, and
  • Accelerating action by connecting actors ready to lead and learn together.

SCIENCE-BUILT, DIPLOMACY-LED CIVIC ACTION

CDRANet’s approach aims for immediate and realistic progress on CDR policy through science-built civic action instead of relying on formal diplomatic channels that have not moved with nearly enough speed. There is extensive historical precedent for efforts like this, where scientists, nonprofits, trade groups, and/or businesses work together through diplomatic means to establish new paradigms in human rights, medical research, technology standards, and more. For example, the 1964 Helsinki Declaration, adopted by the World Medical Association—a non-governmental organization representing physicians worldwide—was a landmark document that established a set of ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. This declaration was a crucial milestone in the history of research ethics. CDRANet’s work is along these same lines—a global, multistakeholder effort that codifies a new understanding for where we’re going with CDR, pulling together the advice of all civil society stakeholders and tying this into the policy work of interested businesses and governments.

Also like Helsinki, CDRANet’s Athens Declaration and Policy Framework is a living agreement—not a static declaration, but an adaptable, evolving action plan that ties together other climate policies, fills in gaps, shares data and best practices, maps out in broad strokes what governments should do to help CDR develop, and continuously tracks and shares progress and evolves recommendations over time.

CDRANet will continually engage with the global stakeholder community to enhance this framework, integrate it into existing policies, pilot policies, and work to ensure that we continue to push forward action as a connected network. We’re addressing an urgent global crisis, and we need an agency that can apply continual attention to and pressure on the need to design and carry out practical, sustainable solutions.

CURRENT priorities

  1. Manage the Vancouver Transition Committee process (VTC; see below)
  2. Expand engagement (see below)
  3. Plan the 2026 global launch and signing of the Vancouver Declaration (details coming soon)
  4. Pursue regional initiatives like the West Coast CDR Compact
  5. Improve public understanding of CDR through clear, accessible communications and translated resources

1. MANAGE THE VANCOUVER TRANSITION COMMITTEE (VTC)

The VTC is small group of leaders representing government environment ministries (or their CDR equivalent), IGOs, the CDR industry, and climate research and policy, who will advise on how to transition the Vancouver Declaration into functioning international policy. Meetings of the VTC group will take place in September, October and November 2025.

Expectations

  • Make clear and steady progress on developing workable plans for implementing the declaration

  • Support the administrative structure needed to make the Vancouver transition process effective and sustainable

KEY GOALS

  • Edit the declaration and policy framework as needed

  • Explore realistic global pathways for large-scale CDR financing, RD&D collaboration, and infrastructure development
  • Discuss adaptable legal and governance templates (e.g., permitting frameworks, MRV pilots, public procurement contracts)
  • Investigate opportunities for small-scale demonstration projects with public and private co-financing
  • Identify joint CDR opportunities across existing budgets and capacities
Additional actions

  • Internally (conducted by CDRANet, not VTC members), this stage will also involve ramping up CDR outreach, education, engagement, capacity-building and conference planning efforts.

2. EXPAND ENGAGEMENT AND LAY FOUNDATIONS

Beginning in early 2026, engagement in the VTC-led transition process will begin expanding to include more countries and institutions.

Expectations

  • Strengthen this group’s organization and operational capabilities

  • Build more trust and familiarity between coalition members as management systems get built out, better lines of communication are established, and lessons of experience are solidified

KEY GOALS

  • Solidify clear and credible financing pathways for large-scale CDR: Identify sources of public and private capital; design scalable financing instruments (e.g., green bonds, trust funds, performance guarantees); and align investments with just transition and sustainable development principles

  • Solidify governance coordination pathways for international coherence: Explore interagency alignment and cooperative oversight frameworks; and establish pathways for standard harmonization

Additional actions

  • Internally (conducted by CDRANet, not VTC members), this stage will also involve continuing CDR outreach, education, engagement, capacity-building and conference planning efforts.

3. GLOBAL LAUNCH & SIGNING

In late 2026, CDRANet will convene a capstone conference to formally launch the Vancouver Declaration as a global policy platform. This event will mark the transition from momentum-building to full-scale mobilization. Signatories may choose to formally endorse the Declaration at this event as a public gesture of support.

Expectations

  • Slingshot out of this event with good visibility and momentum

KEY GOALS

  • Showcase CDR technology developments for policymakers, the public, and investors

  • Announce policy innovations and pilot results from the VTC

  • Announce new member commitments and financial contributions

  • Present draft technical standards and regulatory frameworks for discussion

  • Propose long-term governance structures for oversight and coordination

Additional actions

  • Internally (conducted by CDRANet, not VTC members, CDRANet will build on the additional opportunities from this event for CDR outreach, education, engagement, and capacity-building.

THE CASE FOR BUILDING AN INTERNATIONAL UNIFYING BODY

CDRANet is currently focused on signing and deploying the Vancouver Declaration, and planning the CDR26 conference where the Declaration will be signed (October 20-21, 2026). But we’re also looking beyond CDR26. What will be the best way to continue this momentum long-term?

The world needs to make steady progress toward scaling CDR to the 10 gigaton/year level. We won’t get there in fits and starts by signing a declaration here and holding a conference there, or by relying solely and forever on the good will and energy of a largely disconnected constellation of policy experts, researchers, industry specialists, philanthropies, and UN-sanctioned initiatives. We need more unifying glue to connect these efforts and give everyone a common framework for action.

The Vancouver Declaration and CDR26 are a vital start in this regard. However, the long-term management of declaration-related efforts (including CDR26 and future meetings) may require creating a new organizing body. Should this body be an expanded and fully-staffed CDRANet? Or a different existing organization? Or should Vancouver signatories create an entirely new IGO?

Whatever the solution, there is a clear need to unite in common cause, while at the same time not reinventing the wheel or supplanting existing initiatives and expertise. The CDR ecosystem is already filled with policy analysts, researchers, market experts, investors, government leaders, communication specialists, and more. The highest best purpose of a unifying body will be to effectively connect the many different parts of the CDR ecosystem so it can become more than the sum of its parts.

But what if we end up with more than one such unifying organization? This outcome isn’t an anomaly to be avoided, but a commonplace occurrence in the policy world, with some global groups acting as conveners, others as regulatory agents, and still others as standards agencies, technology platforms, resource centers, or funding bodies. To the extent there are or will be multiple efforts trying to mobilize global action on CDR, it’s important to engage with all of them, since they all focus on different needs and come from different perspectives. Focus and perspective notwithstanding, multi-agency support and engagement also acknowledges the reality that “taking many shots on goal” is an important strategy for figuring out which approaches will be the most effective in the end.

Here’s an overview of how an organizing body fits into landscape of these global CDR policy initiatives:

 

Initiative Primary role Key strengths Gaps What the organizing body adds
Mission Innovation (MI) – CDR Mission Drive international R&D innovation and demonstration projects Government-to-government alignment; technical missions; shared innovation strategy Less focused on challenges like governance, civil society participation, and MRV alignment Connects innovation to real-world deployment pathways and standards
UN Climate Champions – CDR Track Build voluntary momentum among non-state actors (industry, investors, initiatives) Global visibility; Race to Zero credibility; corporate momentum Not a governance body; no authority to coordinate public policy or national strategies Ensures market signals are science-aligned and integrity-protected
Carbon Management Challenge (CMC) Government initiative to mobilize commitments (pledges, policies, enabling environments) Political weight; national policy signaling; cabinet-level access Not a convening mechanism Turns pledges into accountable implementation with cross-border cooperation
Global organizing body (e.g., CDRANet) Global integration and implementation platform to operationalize deployment quickly, safely, and fairly Representativeness; permanent, neutral home; multi-stakeholder communication, integration and coordination; platform for engagement, outreach, visibility, and progress/action accountability. Not yet established (needs broad government participation to fulfill its potential) The convenor, translator, and guarantor of safe, accelerated global action. Avoids endless churn of one-off initiatives, helps governments find an easy on-ramp to CDR, and lowers political, financial and technical barriers to participation by providing boilerplate policies, helpful communication tools, and supporting and connecting the work of a large coalition of the willing.

 

In sum, the current global CDR efforts like Mission Innovation are helping drive technological development; efforts like Climate Champions are helping drive voluntary ambitions; and efforts like CMC are helping drive political commitments. The global organizing body’s role (whether this ends up being CDRANet or some other body) is to connect the dots in this system and beyond to ensure that the end result of these efforts is the rapid, safe, and effective deployment of CDR. Without an organizing body, tech breakthroughs are more likely to stay in pilot mode, while voluntary momentum and national commitments will fail due to lack of market coordination, MRV systems, cross-border pipeline agreements, and more. With an organizing body that works tirelessly to keep initiatives connected and working together under a common framework of understanding (i.e., the Vancouver Declaration), the CDR ecosystem becomes faster, cheaper, safer, more equitable, and ultimately far more likely to achieve our goal of scaling CDR quickly.