The Group of Twenty (G20) includes the world’s largest fossil fuel producers and consumers. Deep transformations in energy-consuming behavior and technology and widespread enhancement of carbon sinks are necessary for these countries to achieve net-zero emissions in alignment with Paris-compliant temperature limitation thresholds. However, policies that focus on actions to enhance carbon sinks are largely lacking. To address this gap, we propose a phased policy approach that starts as a technology mechanism and leads toward balancing the rates of carbon extraction and deposition from and to the geosphere, implemented according to fossil carbon extraction and supply. Increasing climate action on the supply side of global fossil energy markets can enable new forms of cooperation between major fossil fuel producers and users. Such cooperation can accelerate and enhance climate ambition alongside efforts to price carbon emissions.
Paul Zakkour
Visiting Researcher Paul Zakkour was a director of the consultancy Carbon Counts and a visiting researcher at KAPSARC. Paul has more than… Paul Zakkour was a director of the consultancy Carbon Counts and a visiting researcher at KAPSARC. Paul has more than 17 years’ experience in the field of climate change policy, regulation and economics. Among other work, Paul advised on the design of European CCS regulations in 2007/08 and on the UNFCCC’s CCS rules under the clean development mechanism in 2010/11. Paul holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Technology from Imperial College, London.