Carbon capture and storage, known as CCS, is based on the idea that you can extract carbon dioxide from the smokestacks of coal plants or steel factories, compress it, transport it and then inject it back underground, where, in theory, it will remain forever. And that’s assuming you can find the right geologic conditions that are stable enough over millennia so that carbon doesn’t leak out and back into the atmosphere.
The problem is not only that the technology is enormously expensive, but that despite over 20 years of research, it is still unproven to work at the scale required to substantially reduce emissions. According to the Global Carbon Capture and Storage Institute, there are 27 operational CCS facilities globally, predominantly in the United States, jointly able to capture 36.6 million tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.
For context, the world emitted 39.4 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2021 – that’s roughly 1000 times greater than what’s possible to capture with current CCS technology. Put another way, CCS plants can only offset around 0.1% of global carbon emissions each year. To reach net-zero emissions by 2050, scientists calculate that carbon dioxide needs to decline by approximately 1.4 billion tonnes each year.
The industry group estimates that between US$655 billion and US$1280 billion is required to make this a reality. Aside from the trillion-dollar price tag, it’s critical to realise that CCS projects take around ten years to progress through concept, feasibility, design and construction phases before becoming operational – time we simply don’t have.
from:
https://theconversation.com/friday-essay-i-feel-my-heart-breaking-today-a-climate-scientists-path-through-grief-towards-hope-188589