Carbon removal lessons from Denmark: A reality check for the UK

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 11:28:46 +0200

Denmark’s early moves on carbon removal policy offer a cautionary tale for the UK: ambition without matching technological readiness leads to misaligned targets and wasted momentum. That’s the core argument from Leonie Meissner at LSE’s Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment, who uses Denmark’s experience to warn that the UK needs to calibrate its net zero strategy more carefully.

Why it matters

The UK government has baked CDR into its net zero 2050 plans. So have most major economies. But there’s a difference between penciling in millions of tonnes of future carbon removal on a spreadsheet and actually having the technology, infrastructure, and policy frameworks ready to deliver it. Denmark got out ahead on CDR policy, and the lessons from that experience, both good and bad, are directly relevant to the UK as it shapes its own approach.

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Carbon removal lessons from Denmark: A reality check for the UK

Why it matters