Carbon capture and storage schemes, a key element of many governments' net zero plans, "are not a climate solution," a new report on technology points out. Researchers at the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis (IEEFA) estimate that low-performing carbon capture projects far outperform successful ones.

Of the 13 projects examined for the study – representing about 55% of the world's current operational capacity – 7 performed poorly, 2 failed and 1 was disabled, according to the report.

"Many international bodies and national governments are recounting carbon capture in the fossil fuel sector to reach net zero, and that just won't work," Bruce Robertson, author of the IEEFA report, told the Guardian.

Despite being a technology still under development, carbon capture and storage has been presented as a key element in plans for sites such as the UK to achieve zero net emissions by 2050.

Proposals put forward by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Beis) suggest that up to 30 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions will need to be caught and hijacked every year in the UK alone by the mid-2030s for targets to be met. Internationally, to align with targets of reaching zero net by 2050, annual carbon capture and storage capacity will need to reach 1.6 billion tons of CO2 per year by 2030, the International Energy Agency (IEA) said.

Another challenge is to find suitable storage locations for carbon sequestration, where gas is not only used to extract more oil. According to the report, trapped CO2 will need monitoring for centuries to ensure it does not leak into the atmosphere – increasing the risk of the liability being handed over to the public, years after private interests have extracted their profits.

The main risk is that carbon capture and storage technology will be used to extend the life of fossil fuel infrastructure well beyond the cutoff point to keep atmospheric carbon at less than catastrophic levels, the report suggested.

Source: Um só Planeta