An alliance of environmental associations, unions and industry has spoken out in favor of the controversial storage of CO2 in the earth or seabed. This is the only way the climate goals can still be achieved.
In a joint position paper, the German Federation of Trade Unions (DGB), the Federation of German Industries (BDI), the environmental protection organizations Nature Conservation Association Germany (NABU) and the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) advocate the controversial storage of captured carbon dioxide emissions.
They are calling on the federal government to use this so-called CCS technology. For the environmental associations, this means a change of course compared to their previous positions.
Environmental groups see “last option”
As the “Süddeutsche Zeitung” reports, NABU and WWF justify this by saying that everything must be done to limit global warming. Environmentalists had previously rejected CCS technology, among other things because they feared environmental damage from escaping gas.
In a press release at the end of December, the WWF, for example, described CO2 storage as merely a “last option”. However, he already pointed out that Germany would not be able to achieve its climate goals by 2045 without capturing and storing CO2 from industry.
According to the thesis paper, it is right to use capture technologies where carbon dioxide emissions cannot be avoided based on current technical standards. The head of the climate and environmental policy department at NABU, Daniel Rieger, told the newspaper that it was important to recognize that in order to limit global warming, “we simply have to pull out all the stops” and that “at the moment there is no other option for the decarbonization of individual industries consists”.
Important building block for the industry
Because even with 100 percent renewable energy, there would still be emissions left in the lime industry and agriculture, for example. Viviane Raddatz, the WWF’s climate chief, called for a carbon management strategy that makes it clear that capturing and storing carbon dioxide will be an important building block for industry – but only for processes in which emissions cannot currently be completely avoided . Reduction must always have priority.
According to the newspaper, the media report was based on the BDI’s theses paper. For him, it is about strengthening the industrial location and ensuring that climate-neutral cement will also be produced in Germany in the future instead of just abroad.
The Greens will change course at the end of 2023
There could well be a chance that the capture technologies will be supported by the federal government. At their party conference in Karlsruhe at the end of November, the Greens decided to change course in dealing with the underground storage and use of carbon dioxide (CO2). For the Greens, the capture and underground storage of the greenhouse gas CO2 is now a legitimate instrument for dealing with increasing global warming – but only in certain cases.
Denmark had already started a project to store CO2 in the North Sea last year. From 2030 – according to the plan – up to 13 million tonnes of carbon dioxide will be stored annually in the Danish North Sea. Germany could also take part in the initiative.