What is carbon capture and storage (CCS) easily explained?

The document characterizes carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a 'get-out-of-jail-free card' for the fossil fuel industry, asserting that the technology is prohibitively expensive and fails to remove emissions at scale. It highlights that over 80% of global CCS projects have failed and that a significant portion of captured carbon is used for enhanced oil recovery to extract more oil. The text warns that relying on CCS to meet climate targets is 'wishful thinking' that distracts from cheaper, existing renewable energy solutions.

• CCS has failed to achieve significant carbon removal despite massive financial investment; over 30 years and more than $83 billion in spending resulted in capturing less than 0.1% of global CO2 emissions in 2022.
• Many high-profile CCS projects have failed to meet their capture targets, including Shell's hydrogen facility in Canada, which captured 48% of emissions, and Chevron's Gorgon plant in Australia, which emitted more than double what it captured in one year.
• The primary use of captured carbon is 'enhanced oil recovery' (EOR), where CO2 is injected into depleted fields to extract more oil; this accounted for 81% of captured carbon by 2020.
• CCS is energy-intensive and potentially counterproductive; the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change states that power plants using CCS require 10-40% more energy, and some studies suggest it may add more CO2 to the atmosphere than it removes.
• Investment in CCS reached a record $6.4 billion in 2022 according to BloombergNEF, despite the technology being unable to provide substantial capacity by 2030 to meet Paris Agreement targets.

APA

Global Witness (n.d.). What is carbon capture and storage (CCS) easily explained? https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/what-is-carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs-easily-explained/

Chicago

Global Witness. What is carbon capture and storage (CCS) easily explained? n.d. https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/what-is-carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs-easily-explained/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Global Witness |title=What is carbon capture and storage (CCS) easily explained? |url=https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/what-is-carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs-easily-explained/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{globalwitnessndwhat, author = {{Global Witness}}, title = {{What is carbon capture and storage (CCS) easily explained?}}, institution = {Global Witness}, url = {https://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/what-is-carbon-capture-and-storage-ccs-easily-explained/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }