Local Opportunities for Negative Emission Technologies and their Applications
Negative emissions technologies (NETs) are the true new frontier of the European environmental policy. Early-stage carbon capture technologies are being studied, tested and piloted all over the world, quickly gathering global attention as an important component of the complex pathway toward carbon neutrality. Their development has a huge economic potential, recently estimated in 190 billion USD / year for the US. Their implementation requires close cooperation between technical innovators, industrial sector, and public administration, who has control over land, forestry, water basins, coastal and marine zones and other vital assets. 

Both Montenegro and Albania have shown significant progress in their environmental policy over the last few years according to their periodical negotiation assessments [European Commission, 2018]. On the other side of the sea, Puglia is a very atypical EU lagging region, where radical - even pioneering - innovations and future emerging technologies find a welcoming environment.

Joining efforts with the successful experience of INERRAnT (2018-2020 project co-financed by Interreg IPA CBC), and MARINE, LONETA will explore opportunities and challenges of negative emission technologies for SMEs and start-ups, thanks to a strong partnership between the academic world, the industrial organizations, and the public administrations. Our work will lead to the first Memorandum of Understanding for the NETs in the South Adriatic area, and to the implementation of a strong advocacy action toward local institutional and economic players.

LONETA is designed according to a ‘nudge’ methodology. We aim at creating a reciprocal and self-sustainable partnership between Puglia, Albania, and Montenegro, contributing to the 2050 Strategy for a Climate Neutral Europe and to the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, by fostering early-stage and pilot investments on negative emissions technologies in the programme area.