Overview
The Vancouver Declaration was drafted in 2024 and 2025 by CDRANet, an international, multistakeholder group of 300 climate experts, working alongside top leaders from environmental organizations, research institutions, industry and government. The Declaration is a nonbinding agreement in principle—a shared statement of intent to work together in common cause to rapidly scale our global carbon dioxide removal (CDR) capabilities. Although CDR has been referenced in several international agreements in recent years, it has not yet been the central focus of any such agreement. The Vancouver Declaration fills this need, establishing the first international framework devoted to building this essential pillar of climate action. Informed by expertise from across regions, institutions, and sectors, it offers a common foundation for aligning our global efforts, guiding policy dialogue, and fostering sustained government collaboration and cooperation on CDR.
The Vancouver Declaration also responds to the limitations of formal international treaty processes, which are important but often take years to ratify and implement. In contrast, this declaration is more akin to a soft-law agreement—a voluntary mechanism for fostering immediate cooperation without requiring formal treaty ratification. This declaration invites broad cooperation between national and subnational governments, industry sectors, research, and civil society partners, and encourages policy alignment, joint investment and innovation, and shared learning.
Finally, this declaration responds to a growing imperative. Climate policy has long focused—rightly so—on reducing greenhouse gas emissions. While reducing future emissions remains urgent, the consequences of past emissions are now pressing and accelerating. The need to act is no longer abstract or distant, but concrete and immediate as the toll from global warming increases. This declaration gives us an instrument through which coordinated and carefully planned immediate action is both possible and realistic.
The Vancouver Process is convened under the authority of the Vancouver Declaration, but it is not tied to acknowledgement or ratification of of the Declaration. The Process builds on the intent of the Declaration to support dialogue among governments on CDR policy and governance structures; encourage information-sharing and capacity-building on issues such as standards, best practices, regulation and investment; promote coordination across governments, jurisdictions, and regions; and complement existing national and international climate frameworks without replacing them.
The Vancouver Declaration
Our world is heating rapidly, and the stable climate that has long supported human civilization is beginning to erode in ways that may soon become irreversible. Confronting this crisis responsibly requires not only deep reductions in carbon dioxide emissions, but also the urgent development of our carbon dioxide removal (CDR) capabilities.
The science is clear:
- Over the past decade, the average near-surface temperature of our planet has risen faster and to higher levels than at any other period in recorded human history.
- Greenhouse gases—above all, carbon dioxide—are the primary drivers of this rise. Excess carbon dioxide has accumulated in our planet’s atmosphere, and this legacy pollution will continue trapping heat for generations.
- The impacts of increasing temperatures are already significant and will only intensify over the coming decades. Adapting to these changes will not be possible in many parts of the world.
- Simply reducing carbon dioxide emissions will not keep temperatures from reaching catastrophic levels by the end of this century. Climate experts recognize that removing carbon dioxide is also essential.
Developing our CDR capabilities is therefore among the most consequential challenges humanity has ever faced. Yet these capabilities are still emerging, and refining and responsibly scaling them to climate-relevant levels will require significant international engagement and cooperation. It will also require decisive government engagement, given the unique abilities and historic roles of governments in rapidly scaling infrastructure systems that serve the public good.
Recognizing the urgent need for collective action, through this Declaration, we come together in common cause across borders and governments to begin addressing this challenge in earnest. Building upon and working alongside existing climate agreements and programs, we will develop and mobilize new pathways and partnerships to support the research, finance, policy, governance, infrastructure development, and other elements that responsible CDR scaling requires, and devote to this challenge the priority, resources, and focus necessary for rapid and sustainable progress.
We stand at a pivotal moment in human history—one that requires trust in science, shared responsibility, and bold, united action. Through this Declaration, we act together today so we may better protect our present, and preserve a livable future for generations yet to come.
Policy Framework
The Vancouver Declaration Policy Framework companion to the Vancouver Declaration is the first draft of a more detailed plan to help realize the aspirations of this declaration. Like the declaration itself, the policy framework’s specific recommendations are nonbinding, serving as a mechanism to help governments, industries, and institutions align around and act on a shared vision of CDR as an urgent and essential pillar of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goal 13—climate action.
This policy framework is a living document, designed to evolve through continued engagement, dialogue, and iteration. Additional sections will be added over time to include more detailed provisions, descriptions of key initiatives, lessons learned, success stories, and other elements. It marks the beginning of a process, not an end. We invite governments, researchers, businesses, and communities to engage actively: to adapt, annotate, translate, test, improve, and expand on these recommendations.
The framework is centered around ten key actions–as listed below–that are needed to scale CDR with integrity, effectiveness, equity, and urgency. Click on the button below to review the full text of the policy framework.
Policy Framework Priorities
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Position CDR as a core pillar of climate action:
CDR must be fully integrated into the global climate agenda—reflected in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), national strategies, and international agreements—as an essential complement to emissions reductions, both to stabilize global temperatures and eventually restore our climate to safe conditions. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 3, Art. 1 and Ch. 3, Sec. 1, Art. 1. -
Strengthen government leadership in early action, infrastructure, investment, and reform:
Governments at all levels—including through public-private partnerships—must play a central role in scaling CDR. This includes de-risking early deployment, investing in first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects, supporting enabling infrastructure, streamlining permitting, addressing legal and regulatory barriers, and embedding CDR in policy frameworks. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 2, Art. 1–2; also Ch. 2, Sec. 3, Art. 4 and Ch. 3, Sec. 1, Art. 2 and 5.
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Create a globally coordinated CDR system:
We need a coherent international framework to align standards, facilitate data sharing, enable oversight, and avoid fragmentation. Global coordination is critical for the efficiency, equity, and legitimacy of CDR. Built-in mechanisms for accountability and progress review must be core to this effort. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 1, Art. 3 and Ch. 3, Sec. 1, Art. 2–3.
Advance next-generation market and financial tools:
Carbon removal markets must evolve from fragmented voluntary initiatives to robust, high-integrity systems—including regulated and, where feasible, mandatory mechanisms. These should prioritize real removals aligned with climate goals. Broader financial reforms (e.g., insurance, credit, public finance) must also adapt to support CDR. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 2, Art. 1–6.
Establish credible global MRV standards:
A harmonized system for monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) is essential for transparency, trust, and enforcement. MRV frameworks should cover full carbon lifecycles, operate across jurisdictions, ensure data accessibility, and distinguish between emissions reductions, removals and avoidance. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 1, Art. 1 and 3; Ch. 2, Sec. 2, Art. 3; and Ch. 2, Sec. 4, Art. 3–4.
Harness the economic benefits of CDR:
Scaling CDR can drive job creation, industrial innovation, community resilience, and sustainable development. Public and private investment should be aligned to maximize these benefits and support just economic transitions. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 2, Art. 6 and Ch. 3, Sec. 2, Art. 4.
Apply a balanced, risk-informed policy lens:
CDR governance must weigh the risks of various approaches against the escalating risks of climate inaction. Adaptive, opportunity-aware policies are needed to safeguard against harm without slowing critical progress. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 4, Art. 1–4.
Center equity, public engagement, and legitimacy:
Equity must guide decisions about financing, access, and benefit-sharing. Transparent engagement with communities—especially those historically marginalized—is essential to earn public trust and ensure legitimacy in CDR development. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 4, Art. 6 and Ch. 3, Sec. 2, Art. 1 and 5.
Support innovation with integrity safeguards:
All scientifically credible CDR methods should be eligible for support under clear, accountable, transparent rules. Policy frameworks should preserve technology neutrality while enforcing rigorous environmental and social safeguards. See also Ch. 2, Sec. 1, Art. 2–3.
Ensure CDR reinforces—not replaces—emissions reductions:
CDR must supplement, not undermine, urgent efforts to cut emissions. Policies must guard against moral hazard, and prevent misleading claims about climate impact, or excessive reliance on removals or avoidance. See also Ch. 1, Sec. 2, Art. 1; Ch. 2, Sec. 2, Art. 3; and Ch. 2, Sec. 3, Art. 2.