Uncertainties and Barriers to Carbon Capture and Storage Acceptance & Implementation

Implementing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies is essential to mitigate the damaging effects of climate change due to the earth’s temperature increase. However, despite the potential benefits of CCS, its acceptance has been slow. This paper identifies and examines the barriers to CCS acceptance, which include technical, economic, regulatory, and social factors. Economic barriers include the lack of financial incentives while regulatory barriers include the absence of a comprehensive legal framework. Lastly, social barriers include the lack of public awareness and understanding of CCS and the negative perception of technology. Technical barriers include a deficiency of desired infrastructure in all stages of CCS including capture, transportation, and storage. Firstly, there is a deficiency in the development of efficient carbon capture technologies. Secondly, the transportation of captured carbon dioxide poses challenges to move the captured CO2 to suitable storage sites. Lastly, the storage of carbon dioxide in suitable geological formations requires the identification and characterization of suitable sites, while ensuring the long-term safety of the stored CO2.