Can greenhouse gas removals assist the UK in meeting net zero?

30th June, 2025

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) recently asked for evidence about how greenhouse gas removals can assist the UK in meeting Net Zero targets to 2050. Specifically, they are looking for information about the challenges of scaling ‘engineered removals’, which include power bio-energy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS) and direct air capture (of CO₂) (DAC).

Engineered removals are particularly important for aviation, which as a sector is lagging behind in decarbonisation efforts, with 2024 provisional emissions data showing that international aviation emissions are higher than in 2019. The Climate Change Committee recently said in its report to Parliament, that aviation is now emitting more than the UK’s power sector. All Net Zero scenarios for aviation involve the use of all types of removals – the Jet Zero strategy assumed 37% of the decarbonisation of the sector would come from abatement outside the sector (effectively all types of removals). The government’s Net Zero strategy assumed 5Mt of engineered removals will be available by 2030. However, to date, there are almost no engineered removals available in the entire world.  

AEF believes one of the key difficulties in scaling removals is that there is currently very little demand signal in the economy. You can read our full report here.