CCUS: From scepticism to solutions
Technology-neutrality, collaboration and lessons from existing projects will help the industry achieve the large-scale growth the world needs
As somebody who works on the delivery of CCUS projects every day, it is fair to say I am familiar with the critiques levelled at the sector. From questions of financial viability, delivery challenges and scaling-up, right through to the ‘get out of jail free’ accusation as it relates to fossil fuels, these criticisms range widely, both in their subject and ferocity. However, the conclusion of many critics—that CCUS should be resisted as an option—is outdated. To remain aligned with the IEA’s target indicator for its sustainable development scenario, 5,635mt/yr of carbon dioxide will need to be captured globally by 2050—more than total US CO₂ emissions in 2022. So, if CCUS projects are critic

Also in this section
22 July 2025
Africa’s most populous nation puts cap-and-trade and voluntary markets at the centre of its emerging strategy to achieve net zero by 2060
17 July 2025
Oil and gas companies will face penalties if they fail to reach the EU’s binding CO₂ injection targets for 2030, but they could also risk building underused and unprofitable CCS infrastructure
9 July 2025
Latin American country plans a cap-and-trade system and supports the scale-up of CCS as it prepares to host COP30
3 July 2025
European Commission introduces new flexibilities for member states to ease compliance with headline goal