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Last chance for carbon capture and storage

Nature Climate Change volume 3, pages 105–111 (2013)Cite this article

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Abstract

Anthropogenic energy-related CO2 emissions are higher than ever. With new fossil-fuel power plants, growing energy-intensive industries and new sources of fossil fuels in development, further emissions increase seems inevitable. The rapid application of carbon capture and storage is a much heralded means to tackle emissions from both existing and future sources. However, despite extensive and successful research and development, progress in deploying carbon capture and storage has stalled. No fossil-fuel power plants, the greatest source of CO2 emissions, are using carbon capture and storage, and publicly supported demonstration programmes are struggling to deliver actual projects. Yet, carbon capture and storage remains a core component of national and global emissions-reduction scenarios. Governments have to either increase commitment to carbon capture and storage through much more active market support and emissions regulation, or accept its failure and recognize that continued expansion of power generation from burning fossil fuels is a severe threat to attaining objectives in mitigating climate change.

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Figure 1: Projected global electricity sources in 2035.
Figure 2: Prospects for CCS deployment.
Figure 3: CCS activity in China.

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Acknowledgements

We acknowledge support from Scottish Funding Council (V.S., R.S.H), UK Natural Environment Research Council (S.G.), UK Energy Research Centre (N.M.). We thank colleagues at the Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage centre www.sccs.org.uk for discussions and suggestions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Scottish Carbon Capture and Storage, School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, West Mains Road, Edinburgh, EH9 3JW, UK

    Vivian Scott, Stuart Gilfillan, Nils Markusson, Hannah Chalmers & R. Stuart Haszeldine

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  1. Vivian Scott
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  5. R. Stuart Haszeldine
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Correspondence to Vivian Scott.

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Scott, V., Gilfillan, S., Markusson, N. et al. Last chance for carbon capture and storage. Nature Clim Change 3, 105–111 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate1695

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