Carbon capture and storage unlikely to cut emissions from ‘abated’ oil and gas

News

Reliance on carbon capture and storage (CCS) could release billions of tonnes of greenhouse gases (GHG) into the atmosphere between 2020 and 2050, a new report has concluded.

AdobeStock

The report from think tank Climate Analytics calculates the additional emissions that could result from continued fossil fuel use excused by a reliance on CCS. The report comes as patent data analysis from Appleyard Lees shows historic highs for capture utilisation and storage technologies.

If carbon capture rates reach 50 per cent instead of the IPCC’s recommended 95 per cent, and upstream methane emissions are not reduced to low levels, this would put 86 billion tonnes of GHG into the atmosphere, states the report.

Furthermore, opening up ‘abated’ fossil fuels risks making the Paris Agreement’s 1.5°C warming limit unattainable.

“The term ‘abated’ is being used as a trojan horse to allow fossil fuels with dismal capture rates to count as climate action. ‘Abated’ may sound like harmless jargon, but it’s actually language deliberately engineered and heavily promoted by the oil and gas industry to create the illusion we can keep expanding fossil fuels," report author Claire Fyson said in a statement.

Register now to continue reading

Thanks for visiting The Engineer. You’ve now reached your monthly limit of news stories. Register for free to unlock unlimited access to all of our news coverage, as well as premium content including opinion, in-depth features and special reports.  

Benefits of registering

  • In-depth insights and coverage of key emerging trends

  • Unrestricted access to special reports throughout the year

  • Daily technology news delivered straight to your inbox

Register
Or continue by

Signing in with your registered email address

Carbon capture and storage