A new independent review of the United Kingdom’s greenhouse gas removal (GGR) policies has recommended that airlines be required to buy carbon dioxide removal (CDR) credits as part of their path to net zero. The proposal, part of a 30-point plan led by former shadow Minister of Energy Security Alan Whitehead, could reshape how the aviation sector tackles its emissions.
‘There is a clear case for the aviation sector to pay for the combination of removals and sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) needed for the sector to reach net zero’, the report noted. ‘This approach is in line with current policy approaches on SAF and is the fairest way to distribute the costs of the GGRs needed to balance the aviation sector’s emissions, rather than spreading the costs across all taxpayers.’
Among the review’s most significant proposals is the transformation of the current SAF Mandate into a ‘Net Zero Aviation Mandate’, which would require all flights leaving the UK to be net zero by 2045. The report also calls for a binding mechanism to ensure airlines meet these new obligations—a major policy shift for one of the hardest sectors to decarbonise.
To support progress, the Whitehead review advocates for a portfolio approach to carbon removals, combining technologies such as direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) and bioenergy with carbon capture and storage (BECCS). It also recommends removing barriers that hinder nature-based methods like biochar, while improving support for anaerobic digestion and biomass projects.
The report further proposes establishing an Office for Greenhouse Gas Removals to coordinate policy and regulation across government. ‘Improved coordination between government departments and regulators, and the development of clear, inclusive policies and standards are needed to unlock the full potential of GGRs and support the UK's net-zero ambitions’, it said.
It also stresses the importance of realistic expectations around BECCS, warning against dependence on imported biomass—such as wood pellets—and encouraging a shift toward UK-based waste and residue feedstocks.
Sebastian Manhart, a consultant known in the carbon removals field, highlighted that the review comes as the UK prepares to invest nearly £21 billion in carbon capture, utilisation, and storage (CCUS) over the next 25 years. ‘We could see billions flow through its carbon contracts for difference. And smaller innovation pots were and will likely continue to be awarded to various GGR projects’, he said.
Still, Manhart warned that policy and standards must stay technology-neutral. ‘Hopefully Department for Energy Security and Net Zero will soon commission the BSI to develop the next set of standards, starting with biochar and enhanced rock weathering’, he added.
While not every recommendation is expected to become law, the Whitehead review injects fresh urgency into the UK’s environmental strategy—signalling a shift toward stronger accountability for emissions and greater support for emerging carbon removal solutions.