There is a growing push to align carbon markets with net zero, balancing emissions sources and sinks in line with the Paris Agreement. The Revised Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting, released in 2024, set out clearer expectations for credible offsetting and have gained recognition from actors ranging from the White House to Coldplay. Investment patterns in the voluntary carbon market are beginning to reflect these principles, with a broader shift toward integrity-driven credits. But as the world moves from voluntary to compliance carbon markets, what will this mean for net zero alignment?  

The stakes of getting this right are high—scientists estimate that carbon removal must scale from 2 billion to between 5-7 billion tCO₂ annually by 2050 to stabilise future warming. Carbon removal budgeting could play a key role in this, helping businesses and governments alike plan for future carbon removal demand and mobilise supply accordingly. Countries like the UK and the EU are already exploring how to integrate removals into emissions trading schemes. The challenge now is ensuring that as carbon market mechanisms scale, doing so in a net zero aligned manner that scaling high quality removals without compromising vital emissions cuts.

Chair: Calvin Quek, Executive Director for Nature Finance at Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford

Lizzy Coad, Partner & Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group

Megan Kemp, Head of Carbon Dioxide Removal, South Pole

Sindi Kuci, Researcher at Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford

Antti Vihavainen, Vice Chairman, Puro.earth 

There is a growing push to align carbon markets with net zero, balancing emissions sources and sinks in line with the Paris Agreement. The Revised Principles for Net Zero Aligned Carbon Offsetting, released in 2024, set out clearer expectations for credible offsetting and have gained recognition from actors ranging from the White House to Coldplay. Investment patterns in the voluntary carbon market are beginning to reflect these principles, with a broader shift toward integrity-driven credits. But as the world moves from voluntary to compliance carbon markets, what will this mean for net zero alignment?  

The stakes of getting this right are high—scientists estimate that carbon removal must scale from 2 billion to between 5-7 billion tCO₂ annually by 2050 to stabilise future warming. Carbon removal budgeting could play a key role in this, helping businesses and governments alike plan for future carbon removal demand and mobilise supply accordingly. Countries like the UK and the EU are already exploring how to integrate removals into emissions trading schemes. The challenge now is ensuring that as carbon market mechanisms scale, doing so in a net zero aligned manner that scaling high quality removals without compromising vital emissions cuts.

Chair: Calvin Quek, Executive Director for Nature Finance at Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford

Lizzy Coad, Partner & Associate Director, Boston Consulting Group

Megan Kemp, Head of Carbon Dioxide Removal, South Pole

Sindi Kuci, Researcher at Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, University of Oxford

Antti Vihavainen, Vice Chairman, Puro.earth