Holistic Sustainability Assessments of Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage Pathways

With the increasing urgency to act on global sustainability challenges, like climate change, many efforts are focused on transforming the energy system to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as much as possible and as quickly as possible. These changes include increased renewable energy deployment, increased levels of energy efficiency, storage, and conversion processes, as well as the development of Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) solutions. CCUS represents a suite of technologies that capture carbon dioxide emissions from sources, like power plants or industrial plants, and transport the carbon dioxide to be either stored, most commonly underground, or to be used as a feedstock in various carbon-based products, like methanol and plastics. Since CCUS involves many different technologies, which can be employed in various combinations, it is crucial that planning efforts develop holistic understandings of the future role of these technologies to ensure that the energy transition does not unfold at the expense of other equally pressing sustainability challenges. Therefore, this project aims to contribute to planning processes that can navigate the inherent complexities of these technologies within broader visions of sustainable futures.