Welcome to the European Parliamentary Research Service podcasts. In this podcast, we'll talk about how

the Commission aims to better manage carbon cycles within the EU, from carbon as a raw material

to carbon emissions, with a view to not only slashing our emissions, but also moving towards a

more sustainable and circular economy.

With the adoption of the climate law, the EU committed itself to reach climate neutrality by 2050

and to deliver negative emissions thereafter. But that's easier said than done.

To do so, carbon emissions must be significantly reduced and any remaining greenhouse gas emissions,

especially from hard to abate sectors such as agriculture, transport and some industrial processes,

balanced and subsequently exceeded by natural sequestration of CO2 or technological removals.

That's why in December 2021, the Commission presented its communication on sustainable carbon cycles,

outlining various ideas to reduce our economy's demand on virgin fossil-based carbon resources

and ensure that less CO2 is released into the atmosphere

or removing CO2 that's already there.

This would reduce the atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration and thereby its warming effect.

Let's hear the Executive Vice President for the European Green Deal, Franz Timmermans.

To reach climate neutrality in 2050, we need emissions cuts as well as sustainable solutions

for removing and recycling carbon. Part of the answer is in renovation and in technologies

we're developing for the future and part of it is in the nature-based solutions which are already available.

Now the Commission looks at carbon cycles and processes to manage these in three ways.

Use, removal or storage of carbon or carbon dioxide.

Each of these contains diverse approaches that are currently at different stages of implementation.

But let's take a closer look.

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