Putting carbon dioxide (CO₂) back in the ground

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology captures carbon dioxide from industrial sites, transports it, and stores it in geological formations underground. Injected CO₂ dissolves in water and sinks due to its density, preventing it from escaping. Over time, it reacts with minerals and becomes a permanent part of the rock formation. CCS has been used safely since the 1970s. Safety is further ensured by ongoing, long-term monitoring of projects.

Carbon Capture and Utilization (CCU) goes a step further by converting captured CO₂ into valuable new products and materials. Together, CCS and CCU help reduce atmospheric carbon levels and create new resources.

Today, there are around 45 commercial facilities applying CCUS in operation, with hundreds more in various stages of development.

An ‘unavoidable’ technology

There is an ongoing debate around the role CCUS has to play in efforts against climate change. Critics argue that CCUS is a distraction from reducing carbon emissions, and that it could even risk becoming a get-out-of-jail-free card for emitters to continue their business as usual.

The reality is that, alongside deep emissions reductions, CCUS is a must-have tool for reaching climate goals.

Evidence shows that the Paris Agreement ambition – to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, keeping temperature rises to within 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels – can no longer be achieved without CCUS. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)’s landmark 2022 report stated that deployment of the technology is ‘unavoidable if net-zero […] emissions are to achieved’, due to continued CO₂ emissions from hard-to-abate industries like cement, petrochemicals, steel, waste incineration or shipping. They have no viable alternatives to CCS for achieving meaningful emissions reductions. This is because CO₂ is not only generated through the use of fuels in these industries, but also through their production processes.

Although exciting progress is being made in developing new low- or zero-carbon technologies for these industries – such as battery-powered ships and hydrogen-based ironmaking – it is unlikely that these can be scaled up quickly enough for these industries to end their dependence on fossil fuels by 2050. It is therefore critical to take measures to minimize how much of their emissions reach the atmosphere.

Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage is a key tool in reaching climate goals