Dr Naomi Vaughan and Dr Aimie Hope work on Beyond Cost and Carbon – a Leverhulme funded project based at the Tyndall Centre, University of East Anglia. The project focuses on Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) methods (technological and land based) and associated areas (e.g., bioenergy) which together have a pivotal role in achieving net zero emissions and limiting the impacts of climate change.
CDR methods present a range of challenges from the technical and economic to the political, social, and temporal – with the actual timing of carbon removal often working on relatively long timeframes (e.g., 2050 and beyond) and incrementally (e.g., afforestation). Policymakers seeking to assess the feasibility of CDR methods are therefore faced with a challenging and fast changing field combined with uncertainties which increase over CDR project lifespans.
Beyond Cost and Carbon focusses on how to include more real-world complexity (i.e., a broader range of insights and evidence types including social, qualitative) into assessments of CDR and associated decision making for policy.
To date we have been exploring how evidence is gathered on CDR via expert consultation for use by policymakers, looking to identify which factors may impact on the nature and robustness of evidence gathering procedures. In doing so we have been exploring such factors as the types of evidence gathered, the balance of stakeholders present, how meetings are run, and what it is like to be involved in these processes both as a convenor and as a participant. The interviews include representatives from commerce, NGOs, policy, and a range of academic disciplines.
Full analysis and write up of the interview findings for publication is underway. Working with our Stakeholder Co-Design group (which includes members from UK policy organisations working on climate change) over the coming weeks we will be designing the next phase of data collection.
