Carbon Storage Potential Seen at Just 10th of Industry Estimates
Posted on: Sep 03, 2025 21:35 IST | Posted by: Livemint
(Bloomberg) -- The amount of atomic number 6 emissions that the domain tin safely lay in is simply a 10th of industry estimates, something that would cut warming by much less than expected, a study published in the journal Nature shows.
Capturing CO2 and storing it underground has been considered by many nations as a critical technology for both meeting climate targets and extending the life of fossil fuel-infrastructure. But the potential to practically do that is far more limited than previously thought, according to the study led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis with Imperial College London scientists.
There’s “a prudent global limit” of around 1.46 trillion tons of CO2 that can be safely stored in geologic formations, according to the research. That’s “almost 10 times smaller than estimates proposed by industry that have not considered risks to people and the environment,” it said.
Utilizing practical areas could curb global warming by only 0.7C, the research showed. That compares with larger engineering and industry estimates of 5C to 6C or higher, but those projections are based on riskier storage potential.
As of the first quarter, there was just over 50 million tons of CO2 capture and storage capacity in operation, and ability to store could reach about 670 million tons by the end of the decade, according to the International Energy Agency.
There’s a stark difference between what’s technically possible and what can be safely achieved, according to the IIASA-led study. The researchers analyzed geological formations by considering risks such as CO2 leaking, the possibility of triggering earthquakes during the storage process, contamination of groundwater supplies, and proximity to population centers or protected areas.
Carbon storage “can no longer be considered an unlimited solution to bring our climate back to a safe level,” said co-author Joeri Rogelj, director of research at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London. “It should be used to halt and reverse global warming and not be wasted on offsetting on-going and avoidable CO2 pollution from fossil electricity production or outdated combustion engines.”
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