At FICCI’s 10th Sustainable Business Futures Summit (SBFS) 2026, CRIA’s CEO Asitava Sen spoke at the plenary session on Green Innovation: Unlocking Technology for a Sustainable Future, making the case for why durable carbon dioxide removal (CDR) must be part of India’s net-zero strategy.

The discussion addressed several common misconceptions around CDR, emphasising that net zero cannot be achieved through mitigation alone and that durable carbon removal will be essential to address legacy and residual emissions. It also clarified the distinction between CCUS and CDR, underscoring that only CDR delivers net-negative outcomes, and highlighted the importance of engineered pathways alongside nature-based approaches.

CRIA reinforced that CDR is not a substitute for decarbonisation, but a complementary solution that strengthens long-term climate outcomes. Beyond carbon, durable CDR pathways can deliver significant co-benefits across agriculture, industry, and livelihoods, making them particularly relevant in the Indian context.

As conversations at the summit reflected, India’s climate transition will depend on aligning innovation, industry, and policy. Durable carbon removal is increasingly moving from the margins into mainstream climate and industrial strategy discussions.