GOALS

International climate experts have advised for decades that unless we start removing gigatons of carbon dioxide annually from the earth’s atmosphere by around 2050, our planet’s temperature won’t be able to stabilize. We have the technology to accomplish this, and a robust network already exists of governments, businesses, and investors who see a viable future for CDR. The challenge we currently face is that we lack the international technical coordination, political will, and policy clarity to move forward on this vital undertaking with speed, scale, and sustainability.

The goal of CDRANet is to bridge this gap, designing a realistic and inclusive policy framework and connected action aparatus for CDR that cities, states, countries and industries everywhere can begin adopting and adapting by early 2026. What does this mean?

• CDRANet will propose a broad framework for action by end-2025 that can be immediately used by governments at all levels (including state and local), as well as environmental groups, the energy industry, CDR companies, investment groups, and other stakeholders. The power of this framework will be in its (1) focus, (2) support, and (3) action bias: (1) CDRANet’s policy framework will center on the issue of CDR and the many disparate policies we need to enact, adjust and/or tie together to make CDR a reality as soon as possible. In this framework, CDR is the center of action, not an anciallary or subsidiary part of much broader climate agenda that is heavily tilted toward other pressing challenges like adaptation; (2) CDRANet’s policy framework is being developed by and support by the broad, global stakholder community. Rather than squeezing industry/finance-centric ideas about CDR into climate policy discussions, this policy framework looks at CDR from a broad, global, multistakeholder pespective, and also takes time to thoughtfully consider the bigger questions involved (and that need to be addressed), like the ethics and goals of geoengineering; and (3) CDRANet’s policy framework aims for immediate and realistic action on CDR as opposed to creating policy in the UN fashion that is heavy on ideology and decades-long negotiation protocols. Some historical precedents to CDRANet’s work include the 1964 Helsinki Declaration (establishing the priniciple of informed consent in medical research), the 1979 Belmont Report (a set of ethical principles and guidelines that establish the basis for research involving human subjects), and 1987 Montreal Protocol phasing out the use of ozone-depleting chemicals.
• CDRANet’s policy framework will be a living agreement, not a static declaration but an adaptable, evolving action plan that pulls together other climate agreements (to the extent possible), fills in the gaps with action recommendations, tracks and shares data and best practices, and maps out in broad strokes what governments should do to help CDR develop.
• 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.

Nothing like this has been attempted before, and many in the climate policy community have high hopes that what is developed in this forum can break new ground and lead to policy and practices that will help save our planet. Importantly, this is work that will move quickly and with all key stakeholders involved. This isn’t a UN process that will take decades to develop non-binding advisory processses, nor is it proposal developed by a single stakeholder group. This is an urgent, multifaced problem being addressed through a rapid but thoughtful multistakeholder effort with the goal of creating realistic and workable plans and networks that can quickly begin to address our urgent global climate crisis.