Carbon capture and storage

Air contains carbon dioxide (CO₂) because of the respiration of plants and animals. In pre-industrial times, its concentration in air was about 0.03% but it is now over 0.04% because of the release of CO₂ from the burning of fossil fuels in industry and for power. More and more CO₂ is being produced every day, and this will be the case for some time. One of the current big ideas about managing this transition to renewables is carbon capture and storage (CCS). Carbon capture and storage technology would be a useful transition strategy, the argument goes, as we could carry on burning fossil fuels without releasing CO2 into the air. A counterargument to a CCS approach is that it just slows down the transition to carbon-free energy. In 2016, the Oxburgh Report to the UK government concluded that CCS was an essential technology if the UK is to meet its international agreements in relation to climate change at minimum cost.