Attitudes on Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a Mitigation Technology within the UNFCCC

Katherine Romanak,Mathias Fridahl,Tim Dixon

doi:10.3390/en14030629

Abstract

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a technology for mitigating emissions from large point-source industries. In addition to the primary role of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere, CCS forms the basis for two large-scale negative emissions technologies by coupling geologic CO2 storage with bioenergy (BECCS) and direct air carbon capture (DACCS). Despite its inclusion within the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), CCS has been largely unsupported by UNFCCC delegates because of its association with fossil fuels. We evaluate data from surveys given since 2015 to UNFCCC delegates at the Conference of the Parties (COPs) to ascertain how attitudes about bioenergy, BECCS, and CCS may be changing within the UNFCCC. The results show a positive change in attitudes over time for both fossil CCS and BECCS. Using a unique data analysis method, we ascertain that, in some instances, popularity of BECCS increased due to an increased acceptance of CCS despite lower opinions of bioenergy. Business and research NGOs have the most positive views of CCS, and environmental NGOs the most negative views. Delegates that attend CCS side-events have more positive attitudes towards CCS than non-attendees. Developing countries have a larger need and a greater appetite for information on BECCS than developed countries, but a need for information exists in both.

Highlights

Fossil Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) competes with nuclear for the lowest score. We find this extremely interesting given the technical viability of CCS technology, its role within mitigation scenarios assessed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and its inclusion within financial mechanisms such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)
We report on survey data collected by Linköping University within UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COPs)
The data were collected from respondents within the general population attending the COPs and within some specific UNFCCC official side-events

Summary

Introduction

The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is the most central and prominent international agreement to address climate change. It holds annual meetings of 197 contracting parties who participate in the Conference of the Parties (COP), and these focus on facilitating the formal negotiations that lead to and operationalize agreements such as the Kyoto Protocol and more recently the Paris Agreement. Non-state actors (NSA) attend the COPs as “observers”, and their influence in climate action has been steadily increasing over the years [1].

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