Letter on carbon: Beyond the current trajectory
Policymakers must match their rhetoric with bolder action if they really want CCUS to scale up to meaningful levels
Government support for CCUS and direct air capture (DAC) has arguably increased this year, at least in terms of rhetoric. Policymakers are keener than ever to highlight these technologies’ importance to long-term decarbonisation and the net-zero project. Some countries are expected to include CCUS in their submission of 2035 targets under their third Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), required under the Paris Agreement. Germany’s new government has signalled its readiness to help scale up CCS in Europe’s largest economy. In the US, the Trump administration has spared CCS from the cuts in subsidies to other transition technologies, partly because of its additional role in enhanced oi
Also in this section
9 January 2026
A shift in perspective is needed on the carbon challenge, the success of which will determine the speed and extent of emissions cuts and how industries adapt to the new environment
2 January 2026
This year may be a defining one for carbon capture, utilisation and storage in the US, despite the institutional uncertainty
23 December 2025
Legislative reform in Germany sets the stage for commercial carbon capture and transport at a national level, while the UK has already seen financial close on major CCS clusters
15 December 2025
Net zero is not the problem for the UK’s power system. The real issue is with an outdated market design in desperate need of modernisation
