Frei said the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in power generation was “off the agenda… people don’t see it happening.” Speaking ahead of the World Energy Congress in Korea in October he said “Without CCS we have no chance of reaching our climate objectives, unless we see very drastic changes in policy.”
Announcing the support funding for CCS in China and Indonesia energy secretary Ed Davey said CCS was a “critical and transformative” in combating climate change. The UK move brought its total funding for CCS in developing technologies to £60 million.
According to Frei the world was moving closer to a “tipping point” when the focus may have to shift from mitigation of climate change to adaptation to it with greater emphasis on the resilience of infrastructure to extreme weather events.
Alongside inadequate carbon pricing other reasons offered by Frei for lack of progress in CCS included geological restrictions on exporting the technology and political preference for renewables.