A Leap in the Dark: The Dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)

Friends of the Earth International opposes BECCS, describing it as a 'dangerous distraction' from urgent emissions reductions. The document argues that the land requirements for BECCS at scale—up to 3,000 million hectares—would cause widespread deforestation, land-grabbing, and increased global hunger. It further contends that the technology is technically unproven, energy-inefficient, and carries significant risks of CO2 leakage, while potentially enabling corrupt carbon offsetting practices that allow polluters to avoid real emissions cuts.

• BECCS is viewed as a distraction that allows rich countries and corporations to delay radical emissions cuts by relying on the promise of 'negative emissions' to cancel out current and future pollution.
• Implementing BECCS at the scale required by some climate models would necessitate up to 3,000 million hectares of land, which is approximately twice the amount of land currently cultivated globally, leading to severe food insecurity and land-grabbing.
• The technology is considered ineffective and inefficient; for example, solar energy can be up to 100 times more effective than bioenergy in some regions, and the CCS process itself consumes 25-40% more energy than conventional plants.
• There are significant technical and environmental risks associated with carbon storage, including the potential for catastrophic CO2 leaks that could contaminate groundwater, damage ecosystems, and prove fatal to local communities.
• BECCS may facilitate corrupt carbon offsetting, where the carbon removed is used as credits to justify continued fossil fuel emissions, thereby defeating the purpose of achieving net negative emissions.
• The financial costs of BECCS are prohibitively high, with estimated annual investments of $138bn for electricity and $123bn for biofuels by 2050 to meet 1.5°C and 2°C pathways.

APA

Shaw, S., Marien, N., & Cadena, L. (n.d.). A Leap in the Dark: The Dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). Friends of the Earth International. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_BECCS_English.pdf

Chicago

Shaw, Sara, Nele Marien, and Lucy Cadena. A Leap in the Dark: The Dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS). Friends of the Earth International, n.d. https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_BECCS_English.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Shaw |first1=Sara |last2=Marien |first2=Nele |last3=Cadena |first3=Lucy |title=A Leap in the Dark: The Dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS) |publisher=Friends of the Earth International |url=https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_BECCS_English.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{shawndleap, author = {Shaw, Sara and Marien, Nele and Cadena, Lucy}, title = {{A Leap in the Dark: The Dangers of Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage (BECCS)}}, institution = {Friends of the Earth International}, url = {https://www.foei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Friends-of-the-Earth-International_BECCS_English.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }