We are now a few days into New York Climate Week. It’s fantastic to be here, meeting with and being a part of the international force combating climate change. In parallel the United Nations General Assembly is underway, with sustainable development on the agenda. New York is unquestionably the place to be right now to tap into the energy that exists to advance the climate issue. At Stockholm Exergi we have our eyes set on permanent carbon dioxide removal, and how it can contribute.
During Climate Week, CDR (Carbon Dioxide Removal) has its own community, which provides significant opportunities to delve deep into ‘removals’ by attending seminars and meeting those who either work with negative emissions or see the value in purchasing negative emissions to achieve net-zero. The format creates a good foundation for initiating conversations that can drive actual progress. Our message is clear: when companies have exhausted all their options to reduce their carbon dioxide emissions, we help them reach ‘the last mile’, as my colleague Johan Börje nicely put it at Business Sweden’s seminar last night.
One thing that strikes me here is that the United States has progressed further than Europe; the market is more mature. There is generally greater expertise around the possibilities, and questions directed at us often demonstrate a deep understanding. There is significant interest in the technology that we use, the importance of sustainable biofuels, and, not least, the energy efficiency as we can harness the heat from Bio Energy CCS into our district heating system. As a matter of fact, district heating in itself, arouses great admiration; people consider it a very smart system. It is particularly gladdening for Sweden, as we can showcase secure and resource-efficient heating in many of our cities.
At home we tend to take this for granted, but with this new perspective, we are reminded of the brilliance of district heating, and now, within just a few years, we will be able to add another benefit: BECCS and permanent negative emissions. And here in New York, we will continue our mission to position ourselves in the international market – it’s all about enabling ‘the last mile’ to net-zero.
