Policy nuggets: A false choice between carbon removals and e-SAF

As Europe pushes to make flying more climate-friendly, two major solutions are often discussed: 

• Electro-sustainable aviation fuel (e-SAF): A clean fuel made using renewable electricity and captured carbon. 

• Carbon removals: Technologies that pull CO₂ out of the air, like direct air capture (DAC) or biochar. 

Treating these as competing options is a false and harmful choice. We need both, and they have complementary roles in mitigating climate change and driving industrial transformation. 

The problem 

• Aviation is a major climate challenge, responsible for ~2% of global CO₂ emissions—and growing. 

• Planes also create other warming effects (like contrail clouds), which double the climate impact of flying. 

• We need carbon removals to clean up historic emissions and future emissions that cannot be mitigated, while there are narratives emerging that seem to favor removals over emission cuts today. 

Why e-SAF is crucial 

1. Drives industrial change: e-SAF isn’t just about cleaner fuel—it also supports the wider green energy system, by boosting demand for renewable electricity and hydrogen, and helping to future-proof Europe’s industrial base. 

2. Increases energy independence: Unlike carbon removals (which can justify continued use of petroleum), e-SAF replaces oil with clean fuels made in Europe, reducing geopolitical and supply risks. 

3. Builds investor confidence: Over 40 European e-SAF projects are in development, backed by serious capital. If policy shifts toward removals instead, this investment could stall, leaving us stuck with fossil fuels. 

4. Tackles all aviation emissions, not just CO₂: e-SAF helps reduce harmful non-CO₂ impacts like soot and contrails. Carbon removals don’t do this. 

The impact of over-reliance on carbon removals 

• There aren’t enough removals to handle future and past emissions at the scale required. 

• Counting on them as a “cheap fix” could delay necessary changes in aviation and energy. 

• Carbon removals should be used only for emissions we truly can’t avoid, never as a reason to keep using fossil fuels. 

The takeaway 

We shouldn’t choose between e-SAF and carbon removals—they play different roles: 

• e-SAF cuts emissions from flying today and accelerates Europe’s industrial transformation. 

• Carbon removals help deal with the emissions we can’t avoid. 

Instead of debating one over the other, we should: 

• Stick to e-SAF blending mandates (like ReFuelEU) that provide investor confidence 

• Keep a focus on holistic impacts across all strategic priorities, not just cost-per-tonne CO₂ numbers. 

Download the full article, written by our Policy Team.