The Role of Government and Private Sector in establishing the GGR sector

Large amounts of Greenhouse Gas Removal (GGR) will be needed for the UK to achieve net zero by 2050. Yet there are barriers for the government and private sector to overcome in order to establish, develop and scale this emerging sector.

Hear from an expert panel as they discuss the balance of the role of government and the private sector required to deliver this ambitious GGR sector development.

• Mariana Mazzucato, Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value and founding director of the Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, UCL
• James Richardson, Chief Economist, National Infrastructure Commission
• Catriona Reynolds, Senior BECCS Strategy and Engagement Manager, Drax
• Sarmad Qureshi, Chief Business Officer and Co-Founder, CO2CO
• Paul Ekins, Professor of Resources and Environment Policy, Bartlett School Env, Energy & Resources, UCL and Co-lead on Portfolio of Policy Options, CO2RE (Chair)

This will be a chance to share your perspective in an informal, collaborative setting with other leaders in the sector, including policy makers, entrepreneurs and academics.

Guests will be welcome from 17:30, the panel session will start at 18:00, Q&A will commence at 18:45 and drinks and canapés will be served from 19:15.

This event is hybrid. When you sign up, you can choose to attend in-person (at Imperial College London, UK) or online.

This event follows on from the Market Transitions Risk Roundtable, 22 September, Lloyds of London and will lay the foundations for the next event, which will explore mechanisms of risk and uncertainty diversification for actors operating in the GGR sector, anticipated to take place on 8 February at the Oxford Martin School. Please keep an eye on CO2RE channels for updates.

Further background:

For the UK to reach net zero by 2050, it will require the establishment, development and scaling of a UK GGR sector up to 100 MtCO2 in 28 years.

GGR is a frontier technology and a nascent sector, where standards are unset and risk and uncertainty are prevalent. What is the balance of the role of government and the private sector, at different stages in GGR sector development and at discrete points in time to 2050?

This panel session will seek to explore perspectives which embody the entrepreneurial state idea as well as those who challenge the entrepreneurial state construct (“is there anything the state shouldn't do?”). The panel session is timely as confidence in aspects of the net zero sector development is increasingly being questioned.

About CO2RE:

Funded through the UKRI SPF Greenhouse Gas Removal Demonstrators (GGR-D) Programme, CO2RE co-ordinates the programme and conducts solutions-led research to evaluate a balanced portfolio of economically, socially and environmentally scalable GGR options, with associated policy design, engagement and outreach. This will enable the UK to lead internationally on achieving global net–zero emissions, consistent with the Paris Agreement. Find us on Twitter and LinkedIn.