CCS: Chancen und Risiken einer umstrittenen Technologie

CCS is increasingly seen as an indispensable technology for achieving our climate targets. On the other hand, CCS is seen as “geoengineering” and raises questions about the sustainability and risks of CO₂ storage. The discussions are often emotional and lack the necessary technical background. This article is intended to help classify CCS as a technology and bring the discussion about CCS to an objective level. To this end, the CCS technology chain and its level of technological maturity will be discussed. The article focuses on geological storage, which is the safety-critical element in the CCS chain, and examines the question of why geological storage of CO₂ is necessary and how it differs from other technologies for capturing and utilizing CO₂. Finally, the situation and options within the Austrian carbon management strategy (CSM) are discussed.