Europe drags feet on carbon capture

European carbon emissions aren’t falling fast enough, but carbon capture and storage projects still remain low on the priority list

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) remains something of an ugly duckling in the fight against climate change in Europe. While the continent has demonstrated an appetite for renewable energy projects, few countries are sinking investment into large-scale CCS, even as momentum builds in Australia, China, Japan and even the US. The EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) has provided little support for the sector, with carbon allowances trading well below levels that would incentivise costly CCS projects. Governments, while not ruling out big CCS investments, have yet to fully commit to them. "A number of European states have support for CCS in EU policy papers and so on, but that does not mean that th