Think Negative — COP31 Programming Guideline

1. Purpose of the Programme

The CDR Pavilion programme should be designed as an agenda-setting platform for the sector, not simply a collection of member-led panels. Our goal is to curate a practical, high-impact programme that helps move carbon dioxide removal from a largely voluntary market conversation into the policy, compliance, finance, and industrial decarbonisation spaces where long-term demand and credibility can be built.

The programme should prioritise sessions that answer these questions:

• Why is the immediate inclusion of CDR in NDCs and the COP31 official declaration a critical necessity?
• What needs to change to move the CDR market forward?
• Who needs to act: governments, buyers, standards bodies, investors, suppliers, or civil society?
• How can the people in the room help make that happen?
• How does CDR complement and reinforce Zero Waste policies?
• How can we leverage CDR solutions to drive net-zero urban transformation?
• How can CDR be integrated into broader industrial decarbonization strategies to drive sectors beyond conventional emissions reductions toward comprehensive net-zero transformation?

The Pavilion should also help CDR break out of its usual bubble. Sessions should be easy to understand to the broader climate community, policymakers, industrial companies, buyers, financiers, youth, NGOs, and national delegations. We should avoid overly technical titles and jargon-heavy descriptions, and instead connect CDR to broader COP themes such as industrial decarbonisation, climate finance, Article 6, compliance markets, national climate strategies, resilience, agriculture, and just transition.

2. Proposed Overarching Programme Tracks

Members are invited to propose sessions that sit within one or more of the following tracks.

A. Policy, Regulation and Compliance Markets

How CDR can move into policy frameworks, compliance markets, national climate plans and ETS frameworks, and international crediting systems. Potential angles include:

• Why global climate outcomes must explicitly recognize carbon removal
• Practical frameworks for nations to incentivize and count durable removals within their national climate targets
• CDR in compliance markets and emerging regulatory frameworks
• International credits, progress in Europe, and the opportunity for CDR provisions
• The role of CDR and internationally recognized methodologies under Article 6
• National approaches to CDR policy and procurement, best practices from countries like Brazil, Sweden or Denmark
• How governments can create demand for durable carbon removal
• Lessons from national roadmaps, including Australia and other early movers
• What Europe, Brazil, Türkiye, the UK, Japan, and other regions need to unlock next
• Why CDR does not necessarily require Corresponding Adjustments

B. Sectoral Demand & Industrial Integration

Connecting CDR to sectors, industrial decarbonisation and broader industrial transition conversations, especially where host-country themes and regional strengths are relevant. Potential angles include:

• CDR and industrial decarbonisation pathways for net-zero transformation
• Potentials of insetting amongst supply chains, accountability and integrity of carbon counting
• Cement, steel, aviation, shipping, and chemicals
• Corporate demand beyond voluntary offsetting
• How industrial buyers assess quality, durability, price, and risk
• The role of removals alongside emissions reductions
• The role and potential of CDR in the supply and wider value chain
• The role of collaboration, with examples

C. Market Building, Finance and Buyer Confidence

How the sector can build demand, reduce risk, attract capital, and create a more resilient market beyond a small number of early corporate buyers. Potential angles include:

• Building demand beyond Microsoft and early-mover buyers
• What buyers need to purchase CDR at scale
• Financing CDR deployment in the Global South
• Blended finance, public procurement, and advance market commitments
• The role of ratings, standards, insurance, portfolio approaches, intermediaries and due diligence
• Scaling as a case study of the impact of the VCM, with case studies from the biochar industry

D. Regional Implementation

How CDR is being deployed across different geographies, especially outside the usual North American and European narrative. Potential angles include:

• CDR pathways (such as biochar and biomass utilization) that complement and reinforce national Zero Waste policies in Türkiye
• Leveraging CDR solutions and carbon-negative materials to drive sustainable urban transformation and city-level net-zero planning
• CDR deployment in Brazil, Africa, Latin America, and Asia
• Agriculture, land use, and rural economic development
• How CDR can support local communities and national priorities
• Building local policy, science, and implementation capacity
• Avoiding extractive climate finance models

3. Programming Criteria

To be considered for the Pavilion programme, proposed sessions should meet the following criteria.

• Strategic relevance. The session must clearly support the Pavilion's broader goals: advancing the CDR market, improving policy understanding, building demand, strengthening integrity, or bringing new audiences into the sector.
• Practical impact. Sessions should go beyond high-level discussion. Each proposal should identify the problem being addressed, the decision-makers or stakeholders involved, and the practical outcome the session is trying to support.
• Audience relevance. The session should be understandable and attractive to people outside the CDR bubble. Titles and descriptions should avoid unnecessary acronyms and connect to broader climate, policy, industry, finance, or COP themes.
• Quality of speakers. Proposals should include credible speakers with relevant expertise or influence. Priority goes to sessions that bring in policymakers, buyers, investors, industrial companies, standards bodies, civil society, or national delegations, rather than only CDR suppliers speaking to each other.
• Diversity and balance. Sessions should aim for diversity across gender, geography, sector, organisation type, and perspective. Panels should avoid having only one type of organisation represented.
• Clear format. Members should propose the format that best fits the objective. We actively encourage formats beyond standard panels: debates, workshops, fireside chats, roundtables, demonstrations, and youth-led sessions.
• Communication value. The session should have a clear, compelling title and description. The programming group reserves the right to edit titles and descriptions to make them more accessible, relevant, and appealing to the broader COP audience.
• Funding and sponsorship potential. Members should indicate whether they are willing to sponsor or financially support a session. Sponsored sessions may be prioritised for high-demand slots, while still meeting the quality and strategic criteria above.
• Delivery readiness. Members must confirm speakers, moderators, format, and logistics within the agreed deadline. Late or incomplete proposals may not be considered.

What to avoid

• Product pitches without broader relevance.
• Claims inconsistent with IPCC science or the mitigation hierarchy.