Carbon dioxide removal : from international conceptualisation to national policy : a Norwegian case study

Abstract

It is becoming increasingly evident that reaching the 1.5° or 2° C targets set out by the Paris Agreement requires large quantities of CO2 to be removed from the atmosphere using Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) solutions. However, there is a large discrepancy between the scale-up of CDR portrayed in climate scenarios that limit warming in line with the climate targets and the actual pace of global CDR deployment. Based on a qualitative desk study, this thesis combines empirical data and existing literature in a case study on CDR implementation in Norway. First, it investigates practical, social, and political barriers and opportunities to implement CDR on a national level. Second, it examines how CDR is evolving in the Norwegian policy regime, and lastly, it analyses policy instruments used in other countries and hence proposes policy instruments that could enable deployment in Norway. The results of the analysis suggest that the country holds favourable conditions to implement CDR and that policy instruments could effectively scale up the deployment.