Category: Carbon Capture and Storage

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage France

June 23, 2023 – Le CCS est magnifique – peut-etre.

Three years ago, on this day, June 23rd, 

The Prime Minister of France presented on June 23, during a meeting of the National Industry Council (CNI) at Le Bourget, the country’s strategy for Carbon Capture, Storage and Use (CCUS), opening a consultation with manufacturers until September 29, 2023 to gather feedback.

France Launches Its First Carbon Capture Storage And Use Strategy

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 421ppm. As of 2026, when this post was published, it is 430ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.

The broader context for this was that there have been dreams of CCS as a saviour technology since the 1970s when Cesar Marchetti did some spitballing at a seminar organised by IIASA. And since then, CCS has come in peaks and waves troughs. We are in the middle of or near the end of another CCS wave. The resistance to it will grow. The sums of money are unbelievably large and the benefits unbelievably small. There was a time when this could have been a useful adjunct, but we may as well spend the money on well, I don’t know what to spend the money on, frankly. 

The specific context was that Macron and the others need to continue to pretend that there are solutions to these problems. 

What I think we can learn is this: that even when you’re fucked, you still have to keep pretending, or maybe especially when you’re fucked, 

What happened next: I haven’t looked but doubtless huge sums of EU money are being thrown at CCS. 

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

Welcome

You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

June 23, 1969 – Cuyahoga river catches fire. Again –

June 23, 1980 – G7 in Venice aims to sink Venice…

June 23, 1988 – it’s time to stop waffling and say the greenhouse effect is here

June 23, 1989 – Richo gonna save the world… 

June 23, 1991 – Japanese propose pledge and review 

June 23, 1997 – Australian Prime Minister skips climate meeting to fanboy Thatcher #auspol – All Our Yesterdays

June 23, 1997 – Howard vs world, API versus world 

June 23, 1997 – RIP Hermann Flohn

Categories
Australia Carbon Capture and Storage

June 16, 2012 – Lenore Taylor versus CCS

Fourteen years ago, on this day, June 16th, 2012, Australian journalist Lenore Taylor, took stock of CCS in an article called “Climate strategy up in smoke.”

IT WAS the technology that was going to help underpin the nation’s climate change strategy. In 2009, the then prime minister, Kevin Rudd, pledged to ”lead the world” in carbon capture and storage technology, which traps carbon dioxide emissions, permanently storing them deep underground. 

 Taylor, L. (2012) Climate strategy up in smoke. Sydney Morning Herald June 16th

http://www.smh.com.au/national/climate-strategy-up-in-smoke-20120615-20f7i.html

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 394ppm. As of 2026, when this post was published, it is 432ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.

The broader context for this was that in Australia, CCS had first popped up in the late 1990s in the Geodisc programme, and then a couple of years later, post Kyoto, in the efforts of the Prime Minister’s Science and Industry Council, then chaired by Robin Batterham, who was part time and the rest of its time, who was the chief technology officer of Rio Tinto. And then from 2004 onwards, there had been a series of announcements and conferences and legislation about CCS, the Queensland Government had pushed for it as well under Premier Peter Beattie. Also you’d had Kevin Rudd in 2007 Eight, using CCS as a way of keeping coal miners on side while still attracting liberals, small l liberal voters and those concerned about the environment, thus CCS performed the function of squaring the circle.

The specific context was that the physics didn’t add up, the money didn’t add up, and it all fell over in late 2010 and here we see Lenore Taylor, who had been covering climate since the early 1990s, writing about how it all fell over.

What I think we can learn is this: fantasy eventually meets reality and there’ll be a smart somebody there to report on that, usually, hopefully… 

What happened next: CCS has staggered on because it’s too useful, and in fact, it’s pretty much the only story that the coal industry has to tell, though there’s also all this shit about or there was this HELE – “high emissions, low efficiency” (sic) power plants, and the money that the Australian Coal Association put aside was repurposed to publicise the coal industry. And meanwhile, Gorgon, the Chevron CCS facility, has continued to massively underperform.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

References

You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

June 16, 1965 – Rothschild writes to Lovelock – All Our Yesterdays

June 16, 1971 – “Ecology Action” formed in Sydney. – All Our Yesterdays

June 16, 1972 – David Bowie and (Five Years until) the End of the World. Also, Stockholm – All Our Yesterdays

June 16, 1994 – Australian business want international allies – All Our Yesterdays

June 16, 2000 – Energy the Changing Climate report released – All Our Yesterdays

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage United Kingdom

June 7, 2006 – TUC fanboys CCS

Twenty years ago, on this day, June 7th,  2006, the Trades Union Council was fanboying ‘carbon capture and storage’ because it would help create ‘Clean Coal Britain’.

www.tuc.org.uk/research-analysis/reports/framework-clean-coal-britain

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 382ppm.  As of 2026, when this post was published, it is 432ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.

The broader context for this was that carbon capture and storage had been dreamt up as a potential techno fix solution for carbon dioxide build up in the mid 70s by an Italian physicist called Cesar Marchetti, and a certain amount of speculative work had been done in the late 70s and again in the early 90s, but the costs were prohibitive, and the technological challenges, shall we say, significant. The specific context is that after the signing of the Kyoto Protocol and finally its ratification, it became clear that technological fixes were going to be the favoured rhetorical device, if not literal device, of political and economic elites. And so you’d had things like the carbon sequestration Leadership Forum, which was just another international talking shop with a logo and press conferences. Meanwhile, in the UK, support for CCS was coalescing. 

The specific context was that the Trades Union Council and especially the miners unions and friends of miners desperately trying to interest politicians. This is under Blair, still in the mindset that carbon capture and storage can ensure that domestic coal mining can continue, and the burning of coal for electricity can continue. 

What I think we can learn is this:  there are all sorts of constituencies for a technology, and that technologies bat about for a long time before they become quote plausible, unquote or implausible, but still implemented. 

What happened next: Well, the lobbying effort worked in that in late 2007 the first CCS competition was announced by Gordon Brown, Prime Minister, at an event in London, hosted by the WWF. That competition fell apart. Another competition was launched with confidence that lessons had been learned, and then at the last minute, in 2015 Treasurer George Osborne pulled the plug ; not because he was an opponent of CCS, he just didn’t think it was important, and he wanted to be able to boast about having put more bobbies on the beat. It was that banal. And then a third competition was launched in 2018 or ‘19 or whenever. And you can read all about it in my first and last book.

On this topic, you might like these other posts on All Our Yesterdays

References

You can see the chronological list of All Our Yesterdays “on this day” posts here.

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

If you want to get involved, let me know.

If you want to invite me on your podcast, that would boost my ego and probably improve the currently pitiful hit-rate on this site (the two are not-unrelated).

Also on this day: 

June 7, 1959 – another letter about carbon dioxide build up in the Times of India

June 7, 1971 – Australians warned, on television, about ecological breakdown. #ABC

June 7, 1984 – UK diplomat pushes for more environmental action

June 7, 1989 – Money to be made from the Greenhouse, says the Fin

June 7, 1990 – Tasman Institute and a Nature letter about weathering

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage United Kingdom

April 24, 2006 – CCS is gonna save us (again) (meeting of the parliamentary and scientific committee)

On this day, 20 years ago,  

OUR ENERGY FUTURES FOR SECURE AND SUSTAINABLE POWER: FROM CLEAN COAL TECHNOLOGY WITH CARBON CAPTURE AND STORAGE, MICROGENERATION, TIDAL, WIND AND NUCLEAR

MEETING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY AND SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON MONDAY 24TH APRIL 2006- Science in Parliament newsletter

scienceinparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/sip63-3.pdf

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 382ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context was that CCS had been talked about briefly in the late 1970s, and a bit more in the early 1990s, but nobody took it seriously because, you know, behaviour change and carbon trading was all that was needed.

The specific context was that from the early 2000s it was obvious that behaviour change and carbon trading were grotesquely inadequate. Ooh, let’s pull “CCS” out of the garbage can (Cohen’s garbage can).

What I think we can learn from this is that if you really want an idea to grab a minister’s attention, get the policy wonks on board (they’ll influence the civil servants) and also the minister’s colleagues (loved or loathed) in parliament.  

What happened next:  CCS got more support. A “competition” was announced in late 2007. Fell over. Was picked up, dusted off and started again. Kneecapped with the body thrown in a dumpster in 2015.  Resurrected again between 2016 and 2018.  And is currently having enormous sums of public money thrown at it.  Somebody should write a book.

Also on this day

April 24, 1980 – the climate models are sound…

April 24, 1994 – a carbon tax for Australia?

Categories
Australia Carbon Capture and Storage

April 3, 2008 – CCS demo plant in Australia

On this day Thursday, 3 April 2008 

The World’s (then) “largest CO2 storage demo plant” opens in Victoria.

THE launch of Australia’s first carbon dioxide storage demonstration project is a “key strategic initiative in the global challenge of addressing climate change”, according to Minerals Council of Australia chief executive Mitchell Hooke. 

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 385ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context was that carbon capture and storage had first been proposed as a solution – a partial solution – to carbon dioxide build up in the mid 1970s by an Italian physicist, Cesar Marchetti, as part of the whole IASSA attempt to offer solutions.   

The specific context was that was10 years previously, in the late 1990s the GEODISC programme had gotten underway, and in 2001 the Prime Minister’s Science, Economics and Industry Council then chaired by Roy Batterham, (who was part time also the chief technology officer for Rio Tinto), had put forward CCS as a useful way of side-stepping climate policy and the need for behaviour change and societal transformation. There had been further insane promises about CCS during the 2000s and then in 2008 we see this pilot project begin.

What I think we can learn from this is that  these fantasy technologies have a long history, and it’s not one of success.

What happened next:  Otway kept storing trivial amounts of CO2 and it’s not clear to me that any meaningful lessons were learned. But I’m not a geologist. The big CCS project in Australia is Gorgon as per Chevron, and you can read about its stunning world changing successes here.

Also on this day: 

April 3, 1995 and 2001 – Australia’s international trajectory – from bullshit to batshit delusion (but honest)

April 3, 1980 – US news anchorman Walter Cronkite on the greenhouse effect

April 3, 1991- Does coal have a future?

April 3, 2000 – Australian diplomats spread bullshit about climate. Again

Categories
Australia Carbon Capture and Storage

March 27, 1990 – Greenweek on carbon capture

Thirty years ago, on this day, March 27th, 1990,

On this day, the publication Greenweek has a news article titled

“Radical way to take carbon dioxide from power stations”

“A dramatic fall in greenhouse gas emissions in the industrialised Hunter Valley in NSW could come about if the Hunter Technology Group can proceed with studies of a radical method of removing carbon dioxide emissions from power stations.

“The group is seeking $150,000 from the NSW Government to study a proposal whereby carbon dioxide emissions would be pumped along ground-level pipelines to rural and forest areas, rather than be sent through smokestacks into the atmosphere.”

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 354ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context was that Green Week had been set up by an enterprising journalist, I think in the beginning of 1989  and was doing exactly what it said, publicising events and policy discussions, etc. And here we see discussion in its early stages of quote, carbon capture and storage a fantasy, if ever there were one. 

The specific context was that all sorts of bullshit was being bullshitted at this time.

What I think we can learn from this is that the carbon capture and storage thing, which had started in the mid 1970s as a putative solution to CO2 build up, was there in the undergrowth in the 90s.

What happened next

The fantasy technology staggers on. The amount of CO2 actually captured is pitiful, especially if you take out the stuff that is used for enhanced oil recovery. 

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

References

Xxx

Also on this day: 

March 27, 1966 – The “Conservation Society” to be launched

March 27, 1971 – Norwegian Tabloid talks about the climate threat 

March 27th, 1977- what we can learn from Dutch arrogance and aviation disasters

March 27, 1995 – former Nature editor John Maddox admits was wrong on Greenhouse, without, er, admitting it.

March 27, 2008 – James Hansen writes a letter to Kevin Rudd

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage United Kingdom Upcoming events

Upcoming event – March 26th – “Carbon Capture or Carbon Fiction? Science, Policy, and the UK’s Methane Blind Spot”

Next Thursday – March 26th – at 6.15pm, Dr Andrew Boswell is giving a talk at the Royal Society of Chemistry on “Carbon Capture or Carbon Fiction? Science, Policy, and the UK’s Methane Blind Spot“. 

The talk will be livestreamed.  It would be good to see you in

If you live in the London area (the talk is at Burlington House, central London). 

Details on how to book both are at https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/82590/carbon-capture-or-carbon-fiction-science-policy-and-the-uk-s-methane-blind-spot

The talk will introduce new material from Boswell’s work on the UK policy framing of Carbon Capture, supporting the call from campaigners for an evidenced based review of UK (and global) CCS policy. 

Please forward on to colleagues who may be interested. 

See also –

Interview with Andrew Boswell – “When I found the double-counting error, I thought, ‘no, they can’t really be doing that.'” – All Our Yesterdays

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage

February 13, 2024 – Twiggy Forrest says CCS is not a solution

Two years ago, on this day, February 13, 2024

PARIS, Feb 13 (Reuters) – Carbon capture is not a solution for the energy transition and political leaders need to provide real, non-greenwashed, commitments to encourage investment, Andrew Forrest, executive chairman of Fortescue Metals, said on Tuesday.

Speaking at the 50th anniversary meeting of the International Energy Agency, Australian billionaire Forrest said the investment community needs a level-playing field and honest answers from political leaders on phasing out fossil fuels in order to invest.

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 424ppm. As of 2026 it is 428ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

The broader context was that CCS has been around as a theoretical “solution” to climate change for fifty years, since Cesar Marchetti brain-farted it out at an IIASA conference.

The specific context was that Twiggy Forrest has been banging on about climate change for a little while now.

What I think we can learn from this is that CCS is a silly fantasy, but that’s all we have left now.

What happened next: Money kept getting thrown at CCS.

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

Also on this day: 

February 13, 1995 – Federal Environment Minister John Faulkner runs up the white flag on a carbon tax.

February 13, 2006 – Four Corners reveals the “Greenhouse Mafia”

 February 13, 2007- Industry is defo allowed to silence scientists…

Categories
Carbon Capture and Storage United Kingdom

January 17, 2016 – CCS running out of steam?

Ten years ago, on this day, January 17th, 2016 the Financial Times reports on the aftermath of the Conservative government’s decision to pull funding (£1bn) for carbon capture and storage.

Scott, M. 2016. Carbon capture at risk of running out of steam. Financial Times, 17 January. http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/91726a24-a4be-11e5-a91e-162b86790c58.html#ixzz3xVjZrV00

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was roughly 401ppm. As of 2025 it is 425ppm, but check here for daily measures. 

 The broader context was that carbon capture and storage had first been mooted in the late 1970s (and was regarded sceptically).  It had had a brief moment in the late 1980s, and then disappeared into the undergrowth.

The specific context was that after a failed first CCS competition (2007-2011) another one had been set up. Companies were to compete for a billion quid. Then, abruptly, Chancellor George Osborne killed that. 

What I think we can learn from this is that technologies go through ups and downs.  CCS is a proper roller-coaster. You can read all about it here. (Hudson, 2024)

What happened next

The CCS band-wagon had its wheels put back on, a new axle etc, between 2016 and 2018.  Enormous amounts of money are being spent.  CO2 savings? Not so much…

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

References

Xxx

Also on this day: 

January 17, 1970 – The Bulletin reprints crucial environment/climate article

January 17th – A religious perspective on climate action

January 17, 2001 – Enron engineers energy “blackouts” to gouge consumers

Categories
Australia Carbon Capture and Storage

December 27, 2010 – Queensland government withdraws ZeroGen CCS funding

Fifteen years ago, on this day, December 27th, 2010,

Queensland has axed its funding for a cutting-edge 530-MW power plant that was to run on gasified coal and store 90% of its greenhouse gas emissions underground through the use of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, just weeks after the project was short-listed to receive additional support from the Australian federal government, it was revealed at the weekend

Cooper, M. (2010) Queensland government withdraws ZeroGen CCS project funding 27 December Platts International Coal Report

The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 390ppm. As of 2025, when this post was published, it is 430ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.

The broader context was as per the post a few days ago, CCS had been an ongoing strand of technophilia in Australia, breaking through into public awareness in 2004.

The specific context was – Copenhagen had fallen over, the numbers weren’t adding up and everyone was pulling the plug.

What I think we can learn from this – these are literally pipe-dreams.

What happened next – the CCS soap opera continued, because our Lords and Masters have no other option. They couldn’t possibly question the hyperconsumerism they have foisted upon us all. We’re so fubarred.

What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.

Also on this day: 

December 27, 1989 – Greenhouse effect = “socialist hokum”

December 27, 2004 – ACF boss says “cough up” – All Our Yesterdays

December 27, 2009 – Art exhibition in Copenhagen saves the world