Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) is the capture of CO2 from large-scale point sources such as power plants and industrial plants that use fossil fuels or biomass as fuel. CO2 can also be captured directly from the atmosphere. When not used on-site, the captured CO2 can be compressed and transported by pipeline, ship, rail or truck for a variety of uses or stored in deep geological formations (depleted oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers). etc.). This allows CO2 to be captured and permanently stored.[i]
CCUS Installation
Source: IEA
As part of President Biden's investment policy in the green economy in America, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) announced $251 million to support 12 selected projects in seven states that will strengthen the nation's carbon management capabilities. Funded by President Biden's bipartisan infrastructure bill, these projects will expand carbon dioxide (CO2) transport and storage infrastructure in an attempt to responsibly reduce carbon emissions from power generation and industrial operations. The DOE announced the opening of a second five-year, $2.25 billion financing opportunity to enable the continued development of commercial-scale carbon storage infrastructure. Expanding commercial carbon transport and storage is intended to create new economic opportunities and help meet the USA's goal of achieving a net-zero emissions economy by 2050. Nine projects with total funding of $242 million were selected to support the development of new and expanded large-scale commercial carbon storage projects with the potential capacity to safely store more than 50 million tons of carbon dioxide. The project focuses on the detailed characterisation of the site, planning and approval of project development. To ensure these projects are community-focused, all applicants are asked how they promote quality employment, environmental justice and community partnerships throughout project development.[ii]
The UK has announced that it will support President Biden's efforts to eliminate and store the world's carbon emissions while establishing closer ties with the US on energy security. Grant Shapps, Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero said Britain would participate in the US president's carbon management challenge during his four-day visit to the United States in the third week of May. The challenge encourages countries to rapidly reduce emissions and develop technologies that capture and store carbon dioxide deep underground. The UK has one of the world's largest carbon storage potential, including undersea in the North Sea, and can store up to 78 billion tonnes of carbon. [iii] LSE report that their analysis suggests between 22,000 and 30,000 new jobs could be created.[iv]
Environmental organisations are opposing projects that have been in the works for years as well as new initiatives sparked by the prospect of federal funding. Their opposition is motivated by concerns about the risks that could arise from adding more pipelines, but it is also ideological in nature. Many have long objected to focusing just on carbon dioxide and ignoring the conventional pollutants that frequently accompany it. As a result, communities close to industrial sites have become a focal point of the Biden administration's climate measures. In 2021, the White House promised that disadvantaged communities would benefit from at least 40% of climate and clean energy spending. In April, Biden issued an executive order proclaiming "that the pursuit of environmental justice is a duty of all executive branch agencies."[v]
Jane Patton, campaign manager for plastics and petrochemicals at the Centre for International Environmental Law, said:
“The developers of carbon injection projects are not going to get environmental justice advocates on board,” “There is no environmental justice to be found in the injection of carbon under the ground.”[vi]
She continued:
“As long as that enormous amount of money is being rapidly pushed out by the federal government, that undermines any attempts to engage with or have conversations with environmental justice communities,”[vii]
In the face of these concerns, Noah Deich, deputy assistant secretary for DOE’s Office of Carbon Management, said of community engagement:
“It’s a very fraught piece of the puzzle and one that we are committed to getting right but know that it’s definitely a marathon, it’s not a sprint, and we’ve only run the first miles,”[viii]
Nature-based approaches to combating climate change have the ability to both cut emissions and eliminate them. They achieve this by improving ecosystems' capacity to store carbon dioxide or by slowing down ecosystem deterioration so it stops emitting dangerous greenhouse gases and once more turns into a "net sink" for carbon (i.e., stores more carbon than it releases).[ix] The fact that 84% of countries that are Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change have included nature-based solutions in their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), or national emission reduction plans, submitted as required by the Paris Agreement, demonstrates the growing importance of nature-based solutions in international climate policy and discourse.[x]
Map of nations that have included Nature-Based Solutions in their climate plans
Source: Nature Based Solutions Initiative
According to research published in the scientific journal Nature, reclaiming 15% of converted lands in priority areas could prevent 60% of expected species extinctions while capturing 299 gigatonnes of CO2, 30% of the total CO2 increase in the atmosphere, or 14% of total emissions, since the Industrial Revolution.[xi] Most academics agree that Natural Climate Solutions are an essential component of CCUS practises. At the Nature Based Solutions Initiative’s 2022 conference, Lord Zac Goldsmith said:
“I cannot see any future climate conference moving forward without nature-based solutions.”[xii]
Slyvera, a market researcher into carbon markets, reports that it is incorrect to view carbon removal technologies and naturally occurring carbon climate solutions as rivals, which should exist alongside each other to achieve the best results. It essentially comes down to timing: investing in DAC technologies should be explored while reducing emissions on a wide scale across all sectors, including natural systems, by the 2020s. This will enable DAC technologies to scale in the 2030s and 2040s when nature-based solutions have been fully utilised.[xiii]
[i] IEA- Carbon capture, utilisation and storage
[iv] LSE- Seizing sustainable growth opportunities from carbon capture, usage and storage in the UK
[v] Politico- Greens want to slow Biden’s climate roll
[vi] Ibid
[vii] Ibid
[viii] Ibid
[ix] LSE- What are nature-based solutions to climate change?
[xi] Nature- Global priority areas for ecosystem restoration
[xii] Nature Based Solutions Initiative- 2022 Conference: Keynote Day 1 Summary
[xiii] Sylvera- Tackling carbon emissions: nature vs technology? Both!
Oscar is a recent graduate with a background in earth science. He is currently studying an MSc focussing on disaster responses, emergency planning and community resilience. His postgraduate research project will assess the link between climate crisis risk perception and attitudes to green energy projects. “Adapting to the climate crisis through the pursuit of net zero requires community engagement and understanding. Zero Carbon Academy’s goals closely align with this approach and I’m excited to have the opportunity to research and communicate a variety of topics relating to our environment and sustainability”.
