Think Negative opens carbon removal pavilion at COP31
Antalya, 9 November 2026 – The Think Negative Coalition has unveiled the full programme for its carbon dioxide removal (CDR) pavilion at COP31, hosted by the Negative Emissions Platform (NEP). The programme will explore how governments and industry can scale up credible carbon removal alongside deep emissions cuts.
The programme comes as the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) warns that global warming is set to exceed 1.5°C. Its 2026 Emissions Gap Report estimates that returning temperatures to that level by 2100 could require removing and permanently storing around 320 billion tonnes of CO₂ this century in its lowest-possible-overshoot scenario, alongside exceptionally deep emissions cuts. Yet newer removal methods currently remove only around two million tonnes a year worldwide.
Türkiye has made green industrialisation, Zero Waste and resilient cities priorities for COP31. These are areas where carbon removal could become part of existing industries, from turning agricultural waste into carbon-storing biochar to using suitable industrial minerals and demolished concrete to store CO₂.
COP30 established a Plan to Accelerate Carbon Dioxide Removal within the Global Climate Action Agenda. Think Negative wants COP31 to build on that work by bringing removal into existing initiatives on industry, waste and construction, rather than creating another standalone programme.
The coalition has identified five priorities for COP31 and the year ahead:
- Recognition in the Action Agenda. Include high-integrity carbon removal in COP31's final Action Agenda outcomes, particularly on green industrialisation, Zero Waste and resilient cities.
- An Antalya Call to Accelerate CDR. Secure backing from governments, including Türkiye, and international organisations for responsible carbon removal alongside deep emissions cuts.
- Practical commitments for 2027. Secure commitments from existing Action Agenda groups and Plans to Accelerate Solutions to incorporate CDR into industrial production, construction and waste management.
- Stronger national policies. Give durable removal a clearer place in national climate plans, domestic carbon markets and international carbon trading frameworks.
- A bridge to COP32. Encourage Ethiopia to make carbon removal a priority at COP32, with measurable progress and wider international support.
Carbon dioxide removal must complement deep emissions cuts, not replace them. Credible projects must demonstrate net removal of atmospheric CO₂, durable storage and robust independent verification, with appropriate environmental and social safeguards.
What's on the programme?
The pavilion will host a series of events exploring the development of carbon dioxide removal as a climate action tool and the actions required to integrate it into national and industry strategies. Highlights include:
10 November - CDR and the Global Climate Action Agenda: Speakers will discuss how existing COP initiatives can help integrate carbon removal into sectors such as industrial production, construction and waste management.
11 November - From Plans to Plants: Combining Public Support and Private Capital for Large-Scale Carbon Dioxide Removal, with The European Commission, Stockholm Exergi, and Rethinking Removals
13 November – Demand in Practice: Representatives from UBS Global Markets and Türkiye's Investment and Finance Office will explore the financing and purchasing agreements needed to support new carbon removal projects.
13 November – How Mining Can Deliver Carbon Removal at Scale: Experts from CDR2030, RMI and Anglo American will discuss how mining operations and suitable minerals could remove and store atmospheric CO₂.
14 November – Measuring What We Remove: An IPCC-organised session will examine how governments account for carbon removal in national greenhouse gas inventories.
16 November – Türkiye's CDR Pioneers: Turkish businesses, agricultural organisations and local authorities will explore opportunities to expand biochar production and regenerative agriculture.
17 November – Global South Governments on Carbon Removal: A Bolivian government representative and carbon removal businesses will discuss how developing economies can attract investment and establish domestic industries.
How to take part:
Location: Think Negative Pavilion, stand D250, COP31 Blue Zone, Antalya
Media interviews: Available on request
Coalition participation: cdr31@negative-emissions.org
Notes to editors
About the Think Negative Coalition:
Think Negative is a global coalition, hosted by the Negative Emissions Platform, representing the carbon dioxide removal (CDR) field with a mission to integrate CDR in national and industry climate strategies. It is an inclusive, non-political volunteer based organisation which brings together the ecosystem of carbon removal suppliers, market service providers, scientists, researchers, policymakers and industry bodies working to advance responsible carbon removal.
Media contacts
To arrange interviews or request pavilion recordings and footage, contact:
l.willis@woodrowcommunications.com
d.cao@woodrowcommunications.com