We face catastrophic climate change. But carbon emissions are rising faster than ever. To stop this

we need carbon balance now.

Carbon Balance is an NGO initiative, born out of University of Oxford. We strive to put conditions on fossil fuel extraction to protect the climate from any remaining fossil fuel use. We work with the climate movement, academia and policymakers to reach 1.5°C, store carbon, and protect nature.

a world where any carbon still extracted is balanced by carbon stored.

We fight for

This is carbon balance.

Our focus is on addressing the gaps in climate policy needed to reach net zero. We have four key priority areas:

Net Zero has become muddled. Emissions reductions are too slow and carbon sinks are too weak. We must aim for true, durable net zero: reducing carbon extraction as much as possible, and balancing any remaining extraction with permanent storage.
Permanent storage as a part of durable net zero is dependent on both biological and geological sinks. We focus on geological net zero (CO2 from the geosphere needs to be stored by geological storage).
Big polluters have done the most to cause climate change, but have the least responsibility for fixing it. It’s time to hold oil and gas companies accountable for all their emissions and require them to invest in decarbonisation, such as through “producer responsibility” legislation.
We need a massive scale-up of carbon storage technology, including carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to remove carbon from the atmosphere - as well as policies to support it.
We need governments to create a comprehensive "carbon management plan" that includes a clear strategy for stopping fossil fuels from causing climate change. This includes CO2 storage strategies and a phase-out of fossil fuels.

Check out why we have these priorities, and how we are working towards them.

We are guided by four key values:

We think climate goals cannot be reached without building cross-sector coalitions and partnerships to drive positive change.
Carbon Balance Initiative serves as a platform for bringing together powerful, diverse voices and channeling them into a clear call for action.
As a small organisation, we embrace a fast-paced, start-up culture that is able to move quickly in response to new opportunities and challenges.
For us, this is essential in solving the challenges ahead.

The 1.5°C goal seems to be more and more unattainable. We need to be honest about status-quo: we are not meeting our climate goals. We need long-term thinking and backstop policies to reach 1.5°C.
Carbon Balance is still working with the 1.5°C goal in mind. We remain hopeful and solutions-oriented, but solutions should be based on research, science and realism.
Solutions need to be based on state of the art science. Our research team is based at the Oxford Net Zero research institute at the University of Oxford. This gives us access to the world-class research capabilities of University of Oxford and a network of experts in academia, policy, industry, and NGOs.

Mission Zero: Independent Review of Net Zero (Rt Hon Chris Skidmore MP).

“Government should recognise the importance of geological net zero and work to align international ambitions toward geo zero by 2050, in line with net zero”

Professor Paul Ekins in The Guardian on Carbon Takeback Obligation

“There is an urgent need for radical new CO2 emission reduction policies. Carbon takeback obligation provides a means to get built the substantial carbon capture and storage infrastructure that nearly all models say will be needed if the 1.5C target is to be met”.