Integrating Circular Carbon Strategies with Climate Policy and Sustainable Development Goals: Pathways to Synergistic Action

Abstract:

The urgent need to address climate change while advancing global development agendas has highlighted the critical importance of integrating circular carbon strategies (CCS) with climate policy and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper presents a comprehensive framework for understanding how circular carbon practices—such as carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS), bio-based carbon circulation, and industrial symbiosis—can align with climate policy instruments and accelerate progress toward multiple SDGs. By analyzing the synergies and trade-offs between these three domains, the study identifies key integration pathways, including policy coherence, technological innovation, and multi-stakeholder collaboration. Drawing on case studies from diverse contexts—including renewable energy transitions in Kenya, industrial carbon loops in Germany, and sustainable agriculture in Brazil—the paper demonstrates how integrated approaches can enhance climate mitigation and adaptation while advancing goals related to poverty alleviation, clean energy access, and responsible consumption. The analysis also highlights barriers to integration, such as fragmented governance, insufficient financing, and uneven capacity across regions. Ultimately, this review calls for a holistic policy agenda that leverages circular carbon strategies as a bridge between climate action and sustainable development, offering actionable recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to foster synergistic progress.