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This is an in-person event.

Despite the increasing awareness that scaling up CCUS and carbon removals is key to achieving global climate neutrality by 2050, governments and international institutions show a different level of understanding of the role of CCUS and carbon removal in the climate policy portfolio.  Indeed, countries have recently announced new initiatives, such as the ‘Net Zero Industry Act’, which places CCUS as part of strategic net-zero technologies, and the upcoming Commission’s communication on industrial carbon management. Another example is represented by the US, in which the current administration has increased the existing 45Q tax credit for CCUS and direct air carbon capture and storage (DACCS) project and announced the ‘COP28 Carbon Management Challenge’, which aims at partnering with other countries to accelerate the deployment of these technologies.

The situation is the opposite among the public. Often, there are concerns about the perceived risks to health safety and the environment (leakage), the technology is thought of as a way to continue the use of fossil fuels, there is a lack of trust in the technology and projects developers, and local communities are not supportive of starting projects close to them – the not under my backyard (NUMBY) discourse.

Also, the rare presence of official documents outlining countries’ strategies on how CCUS will be used to achieve climate neutrality targets, such as NDCs or long-term strategies, does not help in building the trust of the public.

In this event, different perspectives on public perception of CCUS are explored, to understand views from stakeholders from various sectors that can bring their perspectives and experience on the topic.

Event materials:

Draft agenda