A side event held during the 2019 UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid, Spain, explored the potential of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonize industry and help the ocean.

Convened on 4 December, the event titled, ‘Carbon Removal and Return: Can CCS Decarbonize Industry in South America and Help the Oceans?’ was organized by the University of Texas (US), in collaboration with the CCS Association (CCSA), the International CCS Knowledge Centre (ICKC), Bellona, and the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG).

Moderator Tim Dixon, General Manager, IEAGHG, reported on progress related to CCS, including: approved sets of rules for its application in the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and inclusion in climate actions necessary for avoiding more than 1.5°C warming in 2100.
 
Andrew Jupiter, University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago, reported the commitment of his country’s Ministry of Planning and Development to support CCS and benefits that would be accrued for carbon dioxide (CO2) mitigation, given the country’s large heavy petrochemical sector.
 
Beth Hardy, ICKC, spoke about the potential of CCS to decarbonize cement, whose manufacture represents 8% of global carbon emissions. She said CCS will be critical to keep warming below 2°C. She drew attention to a recent partnership between ICKC and Lehigh Cement, with an allocation of CAD 1.4 million for a feasibility study of a facility that could capture 600,000 tons of CO2 per year.
 
Panelists and participants also discussed:

• the IPCC Special Report on Oceans and the Cryosphere (SROCC), which identified oceans as the largest carbon sink;
• bioenergy with CCS (BECCS), noting its potential for achieving multiple SDGs, including those related to climate action (SDG 13), life on land (SDG 15), clean water (SDG 6), and affordable and clean energy (SDG 7);
• the need for flexible low-carbon infrastructure for CCS in industry, stressing that CO2 removal is not a substitute for mitigation and reducing carbon emissions;
• increased interest in direct air capture due to fewer incentives for injecting carbon in the ground; 
• CCS as a recognized technology in discussions under the UNFCCC and next steps, including upscaling CCS technologies to meet countries’ NDCs; and
• whether BECCS can be applied in sugarcane production and whether injecting CO2 in the ground and offshore can cause acidification of water. 

[IISD RS Coverage of Side Event] [IEAGHG Website] [University of Texas at Austin’s Gulf Cost Carbon Center Website]

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IISD Reporting Services is providing coverage of selected side events during the UN Climate Change Conference in Madrid.