The UK's carbon capture and storage (CCS) program is a prime example of how government policy can be shaped by powerful interests, resulting in a costly and ineffective solution to climate change. The program, which has been touted as essential for cutting carbon emissions, is in reality a massive waste of public funds, with a projected cost of £264 billion. This figure, which is more than a quarter of a trillion, will be divided between the public and private sectors, with the public bearing the brunt of the burden. The government's own Climate Change Committee has admitted that the role of CCS is 'limited to sectors where there are few, or no, alternatives', yet the program is being used to prop up the fossil fuel industry. This is particularly concerning given the long history of CCS projects failing to deliver on their promises. The program is likely the result of lobbying by fossil fuel companies, who have attended numerous meetings with Conservative ministers to discuss CCS. The scientific credibility of CCS as a climate solution was shaped by the oil company BP, which financed and helped steer one of the most famous climate papers, the 'Wedges' paper. This paper, which became a foundation of government policy around the world, greatly oversold CCS, presenting it as 'already deployed at an industrial scale'. In reality, CCS has barely been tested and has a long history of partial or total failures. The lead operator of the government's first CCS cluster is BP, which is a clear indication of the program's true purpose: to provide a gigantic, publicly funded reason for the fossil fuel industry to stay in business. The wasted money, the lost years, and the lost lives are a stark reminder of the failure of the UK's climate policy. It is time for the government to reevaluate its approach and prioritize genuine solutions to climate change, such as scaling up renewables and battery storage, rather than propping up the fossil fuel industry.
