Switzerland and Norway Announce Groundbreaking Carbon Capture and Underground Storage Pact
Cross-Border Carbon Removal Agreement Between Norway and Switzerland Pioneers International Carbon Markets
Norway and Switzerland have announced a groundbreaking cross-border durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) agreement under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement. This agreement marks the first international transfer of carbon removal credits under Article 6.2, establishing a significant milestone for transparent, rules-based international carbon markets.
Several companies are participating in pilot activities under this new framework, including Swiss-based Neustark and Climeworks, Norway's Inherit and Carbon Centric, France's ClimeFi, and Germany's Carbonfuture. Other participating companies include Swiss International Air Lines, Swiss Post, SwissRe, UBS, Zürcher Kantonalbank, and SIX, as well as the City of Zurich and Industrielle Werke Basel.
One of the key pilot activities is Inherit Carbon Solutions' durable CDR by permanently storing CO2 through geological storage. Internationally Transferred Mitigation Outcomes (ITMOs) from this activity were transferred symbolically from Norway to a Swiss entity, coordinated through a public-private partnership and ClimeFi.
Another pilot involves the mineralization of biogenic CO2 in recycled concrete in Switzerland, with ITMOs being transferred symbolically to a Norwegian partner. This demonstrates cross-border cooperation in carbon removal technologies.
A feasibility pilot considering the transport of CO2 from Switzerland to Norway for permanent storage is also underway, pending technical feasibility and commercial agreement between the involved partners.
These pilots are part of a broader cooperation to build transparent and standardized international carbon markets authorized by Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement, which governs bilateral cooperative approaches including carbon credit transfers. The pilots involve public-private partnerships and aim to validate durable CDR methods with permanent geological storage and mineralization processes, ensuring that transferred credits represent long-term carbon removals qualifying under emerging certification frameworks.
Norway and Switzerland are cooperating to expand these pilot activities further, underscoring their leadership role in advancing cross-border carbon removal markets under international climate frameworks. The agreement details how countries will authorize carbon credit trading and how registries tracking this trading will operate to enable country-to-country carbon market trading.
Norwegian Minister of Energy Terje Aasland stated that the agreement is a pioneering step, while Swiss Minister for the Environment, Transport, Energy and Communications, Albert Rösti, expressed delight with the agreement with Norway, stating that it strengthens innovation, provides an opportunity for the economy, and strengthens the partnership between Switzerland and Norway. Rösti also mentioned that this technology complements existing instruments for decarbonisation.
With more than 27 years of experience with safe and permanent CO2 storage, Norway offers this service to European partners under the new agreement. The agreement includes the transfer of mitigation outcomes between the two countries, making it the first-ever international deal to be conducted under Article 6.2 of the Paris Agreement.
This agreement is a significant step towards establishing high integrity carbon markets as outlined in the international agreement at COP29, aiming at enabling long-term investment in climate technologies. It provides insights into regulatory frameworks, monitoring and reporting, and supports the development of a sustainable commercial market for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR).
- The cross-border agreement between Norway and Switzerland, centered around carbon removal, signifies a pivotal moment in the expansion of environmental science and policy-and-legislation, as it establishes a clear path for international carbon markets to combat climate-change.
- As part of this agreement, historical partners like Swiss International Air Lines, Swiss Post, SwissRe, UBS, Zürcher Kantonalbank, SIX, the City of Zurich, and Industrielle Werke Basel, along with innovative companies such as Neustark, Climeworks, Inherit, Carbon Centric, ClimeFi, and Carbonfuture, will collaborate on pioneering carbon capture projects, bringing together science, politics, and the general news.
- The pilots under this agreement, including the storage of CO2 in geological formations and the mineralization of CO2 in recycled concrete, have the potential to fundamentally alter the landscape of carbon removal technologies, demonstrating the interconnectivity of climate-change, environmental-science, and international policy-and-legislation.
