Why CCS?

Why CCS?

CCS is a critical CO2 emission abatement technology.

Since pre-industrial times, the atmospheric concentration of several greenhouse gases (notably CO2, methane and nitrous oxides) has increased substantially.

The stability of our climate is directly linked to the atmosphere, so variations in the level, or concentration, of any greenhouse gas will have an impact.

Atmospheric levels of CO2 are now higher than at any time in the past 800,000 years, reaching 400 parts per million (ppm) in early 2013, compared to a pre-industrial high of 280 ppm. Reducing man-made CO2 emissions, including those produced through the burning of fossil fuels, is a key element in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and the dangerous effects of climate change.

Why we need CCS

  • CCS is a climate game-changer. It is one of the few technologies able to adequately displace CO2 from coal and gas-fired power stations
    and the only technology capable of reducing large-scale emissions from myriad industrial sources.
  • CCS also has the unique capacity to be retrofitted to many existing complexes to allow them to function cleanly for the term of their
    natural life.
  • The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and International Energy Agency (IEA) have both evidenced the critical role that CCS must
    play in meeting global emissions reduction goals.
  • Through cleaning old industry and giving it a second life, CCS is preserving jobs and keeping local economies alive.
  • Most significantly, CCS is starting to demonstrate its climate change prowess in delivering commercial returns in a new energy economy
    where hydrogen production and bioenergy are starting to gain traction.

A portfolio approach

Renewables, like CCS, are an important part of a sustainable clean energy portfolio. However, given the large, easily accessible, low-cost reserves of fossil fuels available, they will continue to be used to generate power and support industry for many decades to come.

The Global CCS Institute advocates for CCS as one option that can stem CO2 emissions as the world transitions to a new energy future.

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