Members of Germany’s parliament from the Social Democratic Party (SPD) and the Green Party are calling for limitations on a planned initiative to store carbon dioxide underground, proposed by Economy Minister Katherina Reiche of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU). The debate centers on ensuring the technology doesn’t become a justification for continued reliance on fossil fuels.
Jakob Blankenburg, SPD climate policy spokesperson, cautioned against automatically classifying new gas-fired power plants as climate-neutral simply because their emissions could be captured and stored. He emphasized the importance of prioritizing emission reduction and avoiding the designation of emissions as “inevitable”. Blankenburg acknowledged a limited role for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in achieving climate neutrality, specifically where emissions are unavoidable, but stressed that avoidance remains paramount.
Lisa Badum, climate policy spokesperson for the Green Party parliamentary group, echoed these concerns, stating the current draft legislation lacks restrictions on the industries that could utilize CCS, potentially including the energy sector. She warned of the risk that industries may delay necessary changes, hoping for CCS to serve as a convenient solution. Badum affirmed the Green Party’s openness to CCS, but reiterated it should be considered a last resort.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognizes CCS as a vital tool for addressing emissions in sectors like cement, steel and chemicals, where complete elimination proves difficult. However, the IPCC also cautions that relying heavily on carbon removal technologies could undermine the urgency of immediate emission reductions.
Current CCS projects have faced challenges related to cost and scalability, lagging behind projected capacity goals. A crucial concern remains the long-term integrity of underground storage sites, ensuring the captured CO2 does not leak back into the atmosphere, thereby delaying, but not preventing, its contribution to global warming.