UNFCCC allocates second dedicated Carbon Removals Pavilion for COP31 in Antalya

The Think Negative Coalition will bring the global carbon removal field back to the Blue Zone, building on the success of the programme delivered by the CDR30 Coalition at COP30 in Belém.

The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) has allocated a dedicated pavilion to the integration of carbon dioxide removal (CDR) into national and industrial decarbonisation strategies, in the Blue Zone at COP31, taking place in Antalya, Türkiye, from 9 to 20 November 2026. The pavilion will be coordinated on behalf of the carbon removal sector by Think Negative, a global coalition, led by senior figures from within the field.

It will be the second CDR pavilion at a UN climate conference. The allocation builds on the breakthroughs achieved at COP30. It transitions single COP presence into a platform for carbon removal within the multilateral climate negotiation process as part of a multi-year mission. The pavilion will host a full two-week programme for policymakers, industry leaders, carbon removal developers, integrators, and market developers, and investors.

At COP30 in Belém, the carbon removal sector initiated the first pavilion dedicated to carbon removal and, together with a coalition of more than 140 organisations, delivered 12 days of programming, including 36 in-person and 10 virtual sessions. The pavilion created a shared home for those working to integrate carbon removal as a complementary and necessary climate tool.

The science is clear. Responsible carbon dioxide removal integration in country and industry carbon management strategies will be necessary to address hard-to-abate residual emissions and potential overshoot. Now is the time to move beyond science and discuss integration within the systems that support our economy and our current quality of life. The COP31 pavilion will focus on the practical application of the carbon removal tool within country and industrial climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.

The COP31 programme will seek to engage national and global industry leaders, policy and market makers on carbon removal deployment use cases and how to scale adoption globally. It will discuss the creation of structured demand through compliance markets, the role of carbon removal as a tool in industrial decarbonisation, the opportunity of public procurement, the acceleration of the development of carbon removal markets and supporting infrastructure, capacity building and how to drive faster technology transfer into the field. It will create space for serious discussion amongst all stakeholders, designed to build confidence, trust and meaningful commitment.

Programming will be curated through an open session-application process and designed to reach beyond the established CDR community. Think Negative is inviting carbon removal companies, buyers, hard-to-abate industries, national delegations, policymakers, financial institutions, insurers, researchers, standards bodies, Indigenous Peoples, NGOs and civil society to bring forward practical decisions, evidence and implementation lessons.

Session proposals can include high-level discussions, workshops, debates, roundtables, fireside conversations and demonstrations. Programme applications and sponsorship are managed as distinct routes: organisations may submit a session application, support the pavilion financially, or pursue both.

Session application is open through Think Negative: think-negative.vercel.app

Organisations interested in sponsorship, coalition participation or supporting the inclusion of additional voices in the programme can contact cdr31@negative-emissions.org.

“Carbon removal is the part of the climate toolkit that can reverse climate change, which is why the growing positive signals and momentum from governments on CDR is so encouraging. COP31 is a chance to turn that support into practical, scaled deployment, and for the wider CDR sector to come together and share what’s already working across trusted infrastructure providers and established players in the market. Applying those learnings as the sector scales is how removals get integrated with confidence, rather than built from scratch.”

— Antti Vihavainen, Vice Chairman, Puro.earth; Member of Think Negative Leadership Group 

“2026 has been a big year for carbon removal policy in Europe, from CRCF implementation to the European Commission’s proposal on the ETS. COP31 is the opportunity to carry that momentum to policymakers around the world. Deep emissions reductions have to come first, but they won’t get us to net zero on their own. Without high-quality carbon removal to deal with what’s left, countries and industries cannot credibly reach their targets. The sooner carbon removal is integrated, the sooner the sector can scale to meet what those targets demand.”

— Lukas May, Chief Commercial Officer at Isometric

“COP30 showed what the carbon removals community can achieve when it acts together. The first pavilion gave CDR a visible, credible presence inside the UN climate process and brought policymakers, project developers, buyers, finance, scientists and civil society into one programme. Securing a second pavilion gives us continuity and a stronger platform to focus on implementation: national climate plans, demand, finance, integrity and deployment”

— Chris Sherwood, Secretary-General, Negative Emissions Platform