Scaling carbon capture faces steep hurdles despite proven technology

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) captures CO2 at point sources such as smokestacks, compresses it, and injects it into geological formations, a technology that has been demonstrated since the 1960s. While small pilots have succeeded, only about 77 plants operate worldwide, capturing roughly 64 million tons a year—far below the billions of tons projected by climate models. Scaling up would require government subsidies, carbon pricing, or tax incentives, as the cost remains prohibitive compared with cheap renewables.

Recent projects, like Yara’s Dutch facility that will ship CO2 to Norway for underground storage, show the concept can be commercialized, but reaching the UN’s lower target of 350 gigatons would need thousands of similar plants. Critics argue CCS may prolong fossil-fuel extraction, especially when used for enhanced oil recovery, while supporters see it as essential for hard-to-abate sectors such as cement. Researchers caution that the planet’s actual storage capacity may be far lower than earlier estimates, limiting long-term reliance on the technology.