Why is CCS needed to reach climate goals?
Climate change is a global challenge. It affects every single country in the world. Meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement will require enormous reductions in global CO2 emissions.
The magnitude of the challenge and the need for speed means that renewable energy technologies alone will not bring us on a path consistent with climate targets. They will need to be complemented by low-carbon technologies, and many other measures as well.
CCS, which captures CO2 where it's emitted and stores it safely and permanently underground, is one of those important tools to putting the world on a more sustainable path than we currently see.
We’re storing carbon safely and permanently beneath the seabed
CO2 is separated from natural gas or chemical process streams, exhaust gases or even air, and is subsequently permanently stored.
The captured CO2 is compressed, liquefied and pumped deep down into the subsurface to isolate the greenhouse gas from the atmosphere.
To decarbonise industries and the energy system in general it is necessary to take in all available technologies, including renewables, clean hydrogen and CCS. While some sectors are easier to decarbonise, others are more complex.
The gap between what it costs to emit CO2 and what it costs to implement CCS is closing as the cost of emitting CO2 increases, hence improving the economic rationale for CCS.