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 founded by researchers at the University of Oxford. We embed credible, evidence-based research into regulation & policy to drive the net zero transition in fossil fuel & industrial sectors. We work across the climate movement, academia, and government to cut emissions, scale carbon storage, and protect natural ecosystems—all to keep global warming below 1.5°C.
We fight for a world where any carbon still extracted is balanced by carbon stored.
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:
-
The concept of net zero has become diluted. Emissions continue to rise, and natural carbon sinks are reaching their limits. We advocate for a more robust and science-based approach: durable, geological net zero. This means drastically reducing carbon extraction—and ensuring any residual emissions are permanently stored underground.
Our focus is on geological net zero: making sure that carbon taken from the geosphere is safely returned to the ground, through long-term geological storage.
-
Big polluters have caused the most climate damage—but often bear the least responsibility. We're working to change that by making oil and gas companies fully accountable for the carbon dioxide they extract and produce. Our focus is on expanding the climate policy toolkit with strong regulatory measures—like mandatory transition plans, carbon storage mandates, producer responsibility legislation, and the Carbon Takeback Obligation. These tools require fossil fuel producers to transition, invest in decarbonisation and deploy permanent carbon storage for all remaining production. This should be a condition of doing business.
-
The IPCC is clear: meeting our climate goals requires rapidly scaling up technologies that permanently capture and store carbon. This includes carbon capture and storage (CCS) for hard-to-abate industrial emissions, and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) to clean up historical emissions from the atmosphere.
But these technologies are not a substitute for reducing fossil fuel use—they are a critical complement. We advocate for policies that support the responsible development of CCS and CDR, alongside regulation that ensures these tools don’t become a license to pollute, but a pathway to true net zero.
-
We urge governments to adopt comprehensive carbon management plans – clear, science-based strategies for addressing emissions from any remaining fossil fuel use. These plans should include:
A credible phase-out of fossil fuel production and use,
Policies to rapidly scale CO₂ storage, and
Just transition measures that support affected communities and workers.
Effective carbon management is essential to achieving real net zero while ensuring fairness and accountability.
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 science, realism and ambition.
-
Our solutions are grounded in cutting-edge research. We collaborate closely with researcher at leading universities giving us access to world-class academic resources and a global network of experts across academia, policy, industry, and civil society. This foundation ensures our policy work is both scientifically rigorous and strategically informed.
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. The 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”.
