CCS and Sustainability

In the coming decades, demand for energy and industrial products (fertilisers, cement, steel, among others) will continue to increase, and as consequence all the alternatives and models available are required to facilitate and promote sustainable development at the local, regional and global scales.

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY

CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is a technology for reducing anthropogenic emissions, that consist in the capture of carbon dioxide (CO₂) produced from burning fossil fuels during power generation or industrial processes such as cement plants, iron and steel plants, petrochemical complexes, etc. Once captured, CO₂ is transported by pipelines, trucks or ships to sites where it can be used as an industrial commodity or permanently stored in geological formations.

Another acronym that refers to this technology is CCUS (Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage). The "U" refers to the use of CO₂ as an additional activity during the permanent storage process.

CCS is a key technology
to moving towards
low carbon models

Explora los distintos elementos que componen el sistema para conocer más acerca de ellos.

CO₂ EMISSION SOURCES
TRANSPORT
CO₂ UTILISATION and storage
Society
Environment
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What do you think about ...?

Each individual, group of people or stakeholder has a unique and particular relationship with their environment. This relationship depends upon various factors, such as knowledge and experiences - individual or collective - of all those involved. Therefore, it is essential to know opinions and ideas about CCS projects to develop better implementation strategies and help to make informed and inclusive decisions.

We asked several representatives of different stakeholders what they think about CCS and its relationship with sustainability, as well as the contributions, opportunities and challenges that the development of these projects implies.

We invite you to watch the following videos and answer the same questions that we have asked these experts and representatives of society.

CCS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS

In September 2015, the 193 member countries of the United Nations adopted a series of global goals with the vision that, by 2030, poverty will be eradicated, the planet protected and prosperity guaranteed for all. Achieve this goal requires the coordinated action of government, society, industry and academia.

Find out more about the Sustainable Development Goals here.

CCS technology interacts directly with 10 of the 17 SDGs.

ENVIRONMENT

CCS is a technology-focused on reducing significant emissions of CO₂ from the atmosphere. In this way, CCS contributes to the call to tackle the effects of climate change, avoid ocean acidification, and reduce the need for projects involving intensive land use, including renewable energies such as solar, wind, and hydroelectric parks.

Society

Reduction of emissions to the atmosphere through CCS has benefits in people’s health and well-being. Likewise, infrastructure can be shared to improve access to clean water. One of the main contributions is to guarantee access to clean and affordable energy, which influences the development of more sustainable cities and communities, which require goods and services from the industry where CCS is applicable.

ECONOMY

The effects of CCS are directly related to economic development, innovation, industry development and resilient infrastructure, and responsible consumption and production.

The scope of CCS on issues associated with employment, industrial and economic growth may vary from region to region according to dependence on fossil fuels.

There are some disadvantages, such as the emissions generated throughout the life cycle of the technology and the large amounts of energy that are required for CO₂ capture systems to operate. It is necessary to improve technology, streamline operations, and establish circular models that help mitigate these disadvantages.

Source: Carbon capture and storage and the sustainable development goals (Mikunda et al., 2021)

CCS is one of the alternatives to reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions to achieve the decarbonisation goals by 2030 and 2050.

At least 25 countries and the European Union are working on strategies to accelerate the development of CCS. Together, these countries represent 60% of the world's population and 80% of global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions.

Mexico is one of these countries.

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