A team of European carbon removal specialists has launched an initiative to help Indian businesses mitigate global warming.

Through a network of experts, international buyers, and even potential funding, Remove, based in Amsterdam, will support Indian start-ups working on carbon dioxide removal (CDR).

CDR is an umbrella term for a range of interventions that sequester CO₂ that has already been emitted. Unlike carbon capture technologies, which aim to capture CO₂ at key emission sources such as industrial sites or power plants that run on fossil fuels, CDR interventions include reforestation and filters that extract carbon directly from the air.

One such filter is biochar — charcoal produced from burning organic matter in an oxygen-limited environment. Indian projects are also expected to focus on a process called “enhanced weathering”, where materials like basalt are spread across land to absorb CO₂.

Remove has helped businesses to raise more than 220 million euros ($238 million) to support carbon dioxide removal (CDR) projects throughout Europe, and is now accepting applications from Indian start-ups. The Carbon Removal India Alliance (CRIA) will be Remove’s partner in the initiative.

To date, according to CRIA, the Indian government has done “limited research into specific CDR approaches”. Instead the focus has been on heavy investment in solar power generation, policy initiatives to encourage solar adoption, and a push to advance research in carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS). A plan has also been outlined to roll out a Carbon Credit Trading Scheme by 2026.

CRIA estimates that India has the potential to meet 10 to 30% of global durable carbon removal demand. In addition, the country can potentially earn $90 billion annually from selling carbon credits from CDR, as well as creating jobs in the carbon removal sector, improving agricultural yields, and reducing air pollution.

In its 2023 report, the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said carbon dioxide removal would play an essential role in achieving Net Zero emissions.