CAR2MA

How can Denmark make the best possible use of its land and biological resources in the transition towards a climate-neutral society? This is the central question addressed by CAR2MA, which aims to develop new methods, tools and models to optimise the interaction between land use and carbon management across society.

The green transition places increasing demands on our land and resources. Agriculture, forestry, energy production, transport, industry and construction all depend on land and carbon-based resources – but they also have the potential to reduce CO2 emissions and store carbon. This calls for a cross-sectoral approach that brings together considerations for climate, nature, the environment and production.

About the project

CAR2MA (Carbon Area Management for Green Transition) is a cross-disciplinary research and innovation project led by Aalborg University. The project is part of TRACE's Collaborative Innovation Programme and brings together four Danish universities, local authorities and businesses to develop new strategies for land use and carbon management.

Project period: April 2026 – March 2029

Project partners: Aalborg University, Aarhus University, University of Copenhagen, University of Southern Denmark, PlanEnergi, Klimafonden Skive, Arla Foods, Ørsted, Stiesdal SkyClean, Vestjyllands Andel, Verdo, Randers Municipality, Business Hub Fyn, Skive Municipality, Viborg Municipality, Vesthimmerland Municipality, Danish Agriculture & Food Council and the Danish Forest Association.

Funding: TRACE Pool 3.3 under the four Danish InnoMission partnerships.

From sector-specific solutions to shared strategies

CAR2MA brings together local authorities, industry and leading research teams from four Danish universities. The project combines physical, agronomic, forestry-related and technical analyses with social science methods, economic perspectives and the development of local implementation strategies.

The ambition is to establish a comprehensive basis for decision-making on how land and carbon resources can be used and managed most effectively across sectors, including agriculture, forestry, energy, transport, industry, construction and waste management.

The project will deliver a national cross-sectoral strategy for land use and carbon management, along with three local scenarios demonstrating how these strategies can be translated into action on the ground.

From national targets to local solutions

CAR2MA contributes to Denmark's climate ambitions of achieving net-zero and even negative emissions, as well as the objectives of the Green Tripartite Agreement to transform agricultural and forest land in support of biodiversity, the environment and climate.

For the transition to succeed, national strategies must be translated into concrete local solutions. Local authorities and businesses therefore play an active role in the project and in developing the local scenarios.

Klimafonden Skive contributes to bridging the gap between analysis, strategy and local implementation. The aim is to create coherence between land use, production and climate action – and to ensure that the knowledge generated can inform decisions and drive change in practice.