France

The National Low Carbon Strategy sets the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 and refers to the role of several CDR methods in doing so, including BECCS and land-based CDR methods. The strategy proposes greenhouse gas (GHG) emission and removal projections for 2050 based on the expectation that France will emit roughly 80 million tons (Mt) of CO₂e, with GHG sinks taking up just over 80 Mt CO₂e each year (including general CCS in its sink consideration). The Strategy foresees that by 2050 roughly 10 Mt of negative CO₂ emissions will be generated via BECCS annually, while forests are expected to store roughly 35 Mt CO₂e, wood products roughly 20 Mt CO₂e, and other land roughly 10 Mt CO₂e per year. 

As part of Member States emissions reporting in the EU, France’s decree no. 2020-457 of April 21, 2020, sets legally binding GHG budgets for three separate periods from 2019-2033. These budgets are broken down first by major emission trading sectors, then by economic sector, and finally by GHG (in MtCO₂e). These budgets include removals from the LULUCF sector which amount to -39 Mt CO₂e from 2019-2023, -38 Mt CO2e from 2024-2028 and -42 Mt CO₂e from 2028-2033. The decree also gives a non-binding indication of the GHG budget per year. 

The French Climate and Resilience Law aims to put in place some of the policy requests made by the Citizen’s Convention for Climate with the goal of meeting the EU’s emission reduction targets. It is, however, currently under review. Articles 12 and 147 of the Law introduce some elements on compensation/offsetting projects and derived environmental claims for products and services. Article 12 establishes a reporting framework requiring a GHG emissions balance sheet including direct and indirect emissions, a net zero plan with quantified annual targets, and information on compensation mechanisms. Article 147 sets rules and targets for offsetting emissions from the domestic aviation sector preferably through agriculture, forestry and soil carbon. It states that only measurable, verifiable, permanent and additional emissions reductions and removals are eligible to compensate for other emissions. Decree no. 2022-539 from April 2022 relates to carbon offsetting and claims of carbon neutrality in advertising. It expands on these measures but does not address the issues of non-fungibility between emissions reductions and removals, the long-term and short-term carbon cycle, and the lack of clarity on what constitutes ‘residual emissions’. 

Before a certification framework for carbon removals was developed at the EU level, France had already introduced its Label bas-carbone (French Carbon Standard), which acts as a certification framework at the national level. The label serves as an official framework to certify emissions reductions and removals in France. Afforestation, reforestation and soil carbon storage are among the first CDR methods eligible, while other types of projects are currently under evaluation. See here for more details on the Label bas-carbone and Carbon Gap’s analysis of the framework.