Global Carbon Council and CCS+ Initiative Sign MoU to Advance High-Integrity CCS and CDR Methodologies

Agreement supports future integration of CCS+ methodology framework within GCC’s carbon market ecosystem and explores development of carbon capture modules for industrial point-source emissions

The Global Carbon Council (GCC), an independent and internationally recognized carbon standard in the Global South, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the CCS+ Initiative, a global multi-stakeholder collaboration focused on carbon accounting frameworks for carbon capture, utilization, removal and storage at the IETA Asia Climate Summit 2026, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The MoU was signed by Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of the GCC; Pascal Siegwart, Chairman of the CCS+ Steering Committee; and Paulien Veen, President of the CCS+ Association, marking a step toward advancing high-integrity carbon capture, utilization, removal and storage methodologies within GCC’s carbon market ecosystem.

The MoU sets out a collaboration pathway for GCC and CCS+ to work toward the use of CCS+ methodology materials for carbon removal credits within the GCC program subject to approval by its key governance body responsible for standards. The methodology materials cover the modules and tools related to carbon capture and storage, direct air capture, CO₂ transport, CO₂ storage, bioenergy carbon capture and storage, and tools for differentiating emission reductions and removals. The cooperation also includes assessing the potential development of a CCS+ module based on GCC’s methodology for emission reductions from carbon capture and storage from industrial point sources.

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The collaboration comes at a time when carbon capture and storage (CCS), carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), and carbon dioxide removal (CDR) solutions are gaining greater attention in global climate action, particularly for hard-to-abate sectors. The International Energy Agency notes that net-zero targets are driving wider deployment of carbon capture applications across hard-to-abate industries, power, low-emissions hydrogen and ammonia, and atmospheric carbon dioxide removal. GCC has recently approved a methodology on low-carbon ammonia that can be coupled with the carbon capture and storage from industrial point sources, if it is applied to blue ammonia projects.

Speaking on the significance of the MoU, Dr. Yousef Alhorr, Founding Chairman of the Global Carbon Council (GCC), said:

“Carbon capture and carbon dioxide removal will play an increasingly important role in global climate action, particularly for sectors where emissions are difficult to abate. Scaling these solutions requires methodologies that are credible, transparent and ready for practical implementation. Through this MoU with the CCS+ Initiative, GCC aims to strengthen its carbon market ecosystem with robust methodology frameworks that can support high-integrity crediting for CCS and CDR projects. This collaboration reflects our continued commitment to expanding trusted, digitally enabled carbon market solutions for voluntary, compliance and future Article 6 pathways.”