The New Carbon Economy Consortium (NCEC) will convene its annual meeting at the University of Exeter from June 29 to July 1, bringing together universities, national laboratories, NGOs, and industry leaders to foster collaboration on large-scale carbon capture strategies.
The initiative aims to drive the transition toward an economy that stores more carbon than it emits, positioning carbon not as a waste product but as a valuable resource. This includes reimagining how industries interact with the environment, with a particular focus on reversing historical emissions.
"Emerging innovative technologies and land management practices hold the potential to transform carbon in the atmosphere into a valuable, productive resource," said Klaus Lackner, founding director of the Center for Negative Carbon Emissions at Arizona State University.
"Our vision is to shift away from our history of extraction and degradation towards a future where we harness our lands to boost crop yields and soil health and transform carbon emissions into better chemicals and building materials.
"Under this revolutionary paradigm, new and reimagined industries can provide jobs, economic opportunity and prosperity, while mitigating climate change and supporting other important environmental goals."
The NCEC outlines a multi-pronged approach that includes engineered solutions-such as direct air capture technologies and accelerated mineralisation-alongside biological strategies like reforestation, regenerative agriculture, and algae cultivation. Hybrid approaches like bioenergy with carbon capture and biochar are also central to the strategy.
Amanda Ellis, NCEC co-chair and former New Zealand Ambassador to the UN, emphasized the forum's global scope. "This gathering, co-hosted with the University of Exeter, is really unique in that we are bringing together scientists, industry experts, financiers and policymakers from a broad range of countries - from Australia to Panama to Uganda - to really advance the entire ecosystem for a new carbon economy."
Professor Martin Siegert, Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Exeter (Cornwall), added: "With our community of leading climate and environmental experts, we are well positioned to understand how responsible approaches to carbon dioxide removal might impact our climate systems.
"We can also investigate the complex social, ethical, economic and policy, and governance implications of such approaches."
The University of Exeter is advancing several carbon removal and climate adaptation projects, including SeaCURE, a seawater-based carbon extraction technology, and CASPER, which explores how soil conditions affect long-term carbon storage.
The NCEC meeting will run alongside the Exeter Climate Forum, a major event focused on solutions to the climate emergency.
Related Links
New Carbon Economy Consortium
Carbon Worlds - where graphite, diamond, amorphous, fullerenes meet
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