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Carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) is a key technology to tackle climate change, according to the secretary general of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF),
Mohamed Hamel said dismissing it as non-essential in climate change mitigation is ‘misguided’.
Hamel cited a report by the International Energy Agency (IEA) from 2020, which said reaching net zero will be virtually impossible without CCUS.
He said: “Addressing multiple challenges such as lifting people out of poverty, providing clean cooking and heating to 2.3 billion lacking it, ensuring access to reliable electricity, fueling economic growth, enhancing prosperity, improving living standards in developing countries, reducing household indoor pollution, and improving air quality in urban areas, all while simultaneously tackling climate change and the energy trilemma, requires a multifaceted approach.”
He added: “There is no single solution; all energies and technologies are essential. As we approach COP28, it is important to remind that under the Paris Agreement, each country's contributions to climate action are determined nationally, in the light of their unique circumstances and capabilities.
“It is not appropriate to dictate to others what they should do. The principles of equity, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, should continue to be the cornerstone of all actions.”
CCUS has been the subject of headlines as the UAE prepares to host COP28, including from a Reuters columnist who described it as ‘a pipe dream’ with $3.5 trillion per year needed in investment to make the practice widespread.
(Reporting by Imogen Lillywhite; editing by Daniel Luiz)
