⚖️ Leaked versions of the European Union's Industrial Carbon Management Strategy note a target of 4-75Mt by 2040 (depending on emission reduction levels of 75-90%) and potentially rising up to 114Mt for net-zero by 2050. With upcoming EU elections this year, the Negative Emission Platform put together a carbon removal manifesto with a list of demands.

📢 The DAC Coalition joined Carbon Market Watch in calling for the European Union to adopt separate targets for emissions reductions, land-based carbon sequestration and permanent removals in the European 2040 Climate Target. Our UK and Europe Lead, Aaron Benjamin, was quoted in a piece by EuroNews on this issue.

📃 Grant Faber of Carbon-Based Consulting published a new DAC community resource listing over 100 technology developers globally. 

💲BCG continued their support for DAC with a purchase of 21,000 tonnes from 1PointFive, which also announced a pre-purchase agreement with global commodity giant Trafigura at Davos, as part of their commitment to the First Movers Coalition.

💲 Octavia Carbon announced that Klimate.co has pre-purchased 950 tons of carbon credits from Project Hummingbird, Kenya's first DAC+Storage project.

💧🏗️ Capture6 announced Project Octopus in partnership with Korea Water Resource Corporation (K-Water) and Tomorrow Water. It will be the world’s first fully integrated facility for carbon removal and water management using seawater desalination. If fully scaled, the facility could capture up to 0.5Mt CO2/yr.

🏗️ Heimdal, in partnership with CapturePoint LLC, announced Project Bantam, which will develop a direct air capture and storage facility in Oklahoma capable of removing 7,000 tons of CO2 from the atmosphere annually.

🪨 CO2 Storage: Wyoming issued their first three Class VI permits. California Resource Corporation received approval on their permit application for storing CO2 in depleted oil and gas wells, and Louisiana was given full primacy over their Class VI program. 

🪨 Carbfix and Great Carbon Valley signed a Memorandum of Understanding to explore CO2 storage in Kenya. Carbfix also successfully demonstrated that dissolved CO2 in seawater is able to mineralize in basaltic formations.

⚖️ Carbon Dioxide Removal Leadership Act was reintroduced in the House of Representatives by Paul D. Tonko (NY-20) and Scott Peters (CA-52) supported by Senators Chris Coons (DE) and Sheldon Whitehouse (RI). The landmark bill would allocate $10Bn and outline annual price points and removal targets.

🏆 Bezos Earth Fund launched a $1m ideation prize for novel greenhouse gas removal solutions. Finalists will receive up to $50k in non-dilutive funding. Early submission deadline on the 1st February.

🏆 Climate Intervention Environmental Impact Fund opened up a new round of grant funding focusing on environmental impact assessment, impact modeling, and/or public-stakeholder outreach, including carbon removal, with grants up to $65k each. Deadline is 1st June.

🏆 The $50,000 Keeling Curve Prize is accepting submissions for 2024 with scope for 10 global projects that demonstrate the ability to reduce, replace, or remove greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and oceans. Deadline on 12th February.

⚡ Remove, the European carbon removal accelerator, have opened up applications for their 6th cohort. The deadline to apply is 1st March. Similarly, gener8tor, a DAC-focused accelerator funded by U.S Department of Energy and supported by Clean Air Task Force, has opened for applications. The deadline to apply is 18th February.

🧪 New research from ETZ Zurich sheds light on the use of photoacidic molecules capable of capturing and releasing CO2 triggered by light.

GCT also signed an agreement with Cella Mineral Storage to trial their technology with Cella's CO2 mineralization pilot in Kenya.

"Designing a UK DAC Innovation Centre"
This month, we hosted a workshop alongside ETZ, Storegga and DAC Coalition members. The session focused on the needs, capabilities, and services required in a new scale-up incubator designed specifically for DAC in the North East of Scotland. 
If you would like to contribute to the initiative, contact us here.

DAC Day 2.0 - Bipartisan Policy Center
8th February (Virtual/In-person) - Washington D.C
Join the Bipartisan Policy Center, Department of Energy, and the broader DAC community for a discussion on the future of DAC deployment in America. 
DAC Day 2.0 will feature robust conversations from our nation’s top thought leaders in DAC deployment, market creation, and hubs implementation. A networking reception will follow the day’s panel discussions.