Linklaters Supports UK Net Zero via Protos Carbon Capture Project

A new study has called into question the effectiveness of carbon prisoner and storehouse (CCS) strategies in Asia, advising that wide relinquishment could inadvertently result in 25 billion tonnes of fresh CO₂ emissions by 2050. The exploration, which evaluates policy approaches across Asian power and artificial sectors, contends that CCS constantly serves as a support for continued reactionary energy use rather than as a truly decarbonising result.

Judges argue that while CCS is retailed as enabling emissions control for hard-to-abate industries, in practice the technology remains expensive, unreliable, and substantially deployed to extend the viability of coal, oil, and gas infrastructure. The adoption of CCS in China, India, Japan, and Southeast Asia is likely to lock countries into higher emissions pathways as existing installations stay operational and new fossil-based systems are justified on the basis of future capture capability.

Critics of CCS call for policies to prioritise proven renewable energy sources, electrification, and energy efficiency over riskier and more costly schemes. The study’s authors recommend clear climate targets focused on phasing out fossil fuel dependence, ensuring CCS plays a limited and explicitly transitional role rather than dominating long-term policy.

The findings add to a growing body of global research questioning whether CCS can be scaled up to deliver meaningful climate benefits in the coming decades, especially given the vast investment and political support required.