In response to George Monbiot's article 'The great carbon capture con,' experts including Prof Myles Allen of Oxford University, Stephanie Loo of Carbon Balance Initiative, Toby Lockwood of Clean Air Task Force, and Olivia Powis of the Carbon Capture and Storage Association argue that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is vital for tackling the climate crisis.
Physics Demands Carbon Capture
Prof Myles Allen states that physics requires capturing and durably disposing of carbon dioxide on a huge scale, as the world will generate more CO2 than can safely be dumped into the atmosphere. He notes that stopping global warming means injecting CO2 back underground, as stressed biosphere and oceans cannot mop up excess emissions.
Proposal: Polluter Pays Principle
Allen questions whether CO2 disposal should be permanently paid for with public money, suggesting that private companies profiting from fossil fuel extraction should pay for disposal. He proposes requiring fossil fuel extractors to store a rising fraction of the CO2 their products generate, aiming for 100% storage by mid-century to cause no further warming.
He highlights a golden opportunity for the government: if it consents the Jackdaw gasfield, make the licence conditional on storing a rising fraction of the CO2 that gas will generate. This would make Jackdaw the first producing gasfield aligned with Paris agreement goals, addressing a supreme court ruling. A public consultation on Jackdaw is open until 10 August.
CCUS Essential for Industry and Energy Security
Stephanie Loo and Toby Lockwood emphasize that independent academic evidence, the IPCC, the Climate Change Committee (CCC), and the IEA all recognise CCUS as essential for climate targets. For industries like cement, which account for 8% of global emissions, CCUS is the only viable decarbonisation route.
They refute claims that CCUS will cost £264bn, stating the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero does not recognise this figure. By comparison, the CCC's seventh carbon budget estimates net zero costs at around 0.2% of UK GDP annually, with private investment leading.
Economic and Job Benefits
Olivia Powis notes that CCUS supports a renewables-led electricity system by providing flexible low-carbon generation when wind and solar output is low. It also safeguards industries like cement, chemicals, and refining, helping them remain competitive as global demand for low-carbon products rises.
The East Coast Cluster and HyNet CCUS projects are under construction, supporting £4bn in supply-chain activity, over 300 UK subcontractors, and 5,500 jobs. Powis stresses that government support is needed for nascent industries to reduce costs and build markets, citing demand for low-carbon cement from Europe's first cement plant with CCS and greenhouse gas removal credits.
