A recent study from Chalmers University, Sweden and the University of Bergen, Norway, emphasizes the important role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in meeting the climate goals set by the Paris Agreement. Despite its potential, the CCS is not expanding fast enough to meet its goals. This technology, which captures carbon dioxide and stores it underground, is important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, especially in carbon-intensive industries. Some CCS methods, such as bioenergy and CCS (BECCS) and direct gas injection (DACCS), also produce harmful emissions.
The study, titled “Effective deployment of carbon capture and storage and requirements for climate standards”, found CCS deployment to be a major challenge. It predicts that over the course of the 21st century, no more than 600 gigatons of CO2 will be captured and stored, a figure far below the 1,000 gigatons required by some climate mitigation models from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). This shortfall, coupled with the slow rate of CCS expansion, raises doubts about the ability to limit global warming to 1.5°C or even 2°C without a significant acceleration in CCS growth. Historically, CCS projects have had a high failure rate, with 90% of planned projects not materializing about 15 years ago. Although current policies like the EU Net-Zero Industry Act and the US Inflation Reduction Act aim to boost CCS development, success is far from guaranteed. Even if all proposed projects succeed, by 2030, CCS capacity would only be eight times its current level, which is still insufficient to meet climate targets. To stay in the 2°C range, CCS growth in wind power would have to be as rapid as in the early 2000s and to match the peak growth for nuclear power in the 1970s and 1980.
Although rapid expansion is possible, it requires strong political support and a reduction in the number of ineffective programs. In addition, this study emphasizes the importance of expanding other low-carbon technologies such as solar and wind power to fill the gap created by CCS.