Summary
This systematic literature review examines innovation and upscaling research for negative emissions technologies using a structured coding framework across innovation stages. The authors find a significant imbalance: 83% of literature emphasises supply-side factors (R&D, demonstration, scale-up) whilst demand-side considerations receive minimal attention, despite evidence from broader innovation literature that successful technology diffusion requires attention to user heterogeneity, policy risk, and public acceptance. The review highlights an urgent mismatch between the 2030–2050 deployment window required by climate scenarios and the long timescales typically needed for technology scaling.
UK applicability
The findings are relevant to UK climate policy and innovation strategy, particularly regarding BECCS deployment (which appears better-represented in demand-side literature) and direct air capture adoption. The analysis suggests that UK NET policy frameworks should prioritise demand-side factors, public engagement, and heterogeneous user adoption pathways alongside technology development, consistent with net-zero commitments.
Key measures
Proportion of NET literature articles coded by innovation stage (R&D, demonstration, scale-up, demand pull, niche markets, public acceptance); technology type distribution (BECCS, direct air capture); timeline projections from integrated assessment models
Outcomes reported
The study characterised the distribution of peer-reviewed literature on negative emissions technologies (NETs) across innovation stages, finding that 59% focuses on R&D while only 17% addresses demand-side factors. The review identifies critical gaps between innovation literature emphasis and the urgent timeline required for NET deployment by 2050 to meet climate targets.
Topic tags
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