The Politics & Policy of Carbon Capture and Storage

The overall aim of the research project 'Politics and Policy of Carbon Capture and Storage' is to examine the political, policy and societal implications of CCS (in the context of barriers, opportunities, risks and benefits associated with CCS) as a climate mitigation option. The project is financed by the Swedish Foundation for Strategic Environmental Research (Mistra) 2008-2010. It is coordinated by the Department of Political Science at Lund University, Sweden and involves international scholars from research institutes and universities in Canada, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Norway, UK and the US. The Mistra-CCS project focuses on the political, institutional and governance dimensions of carbon capture and storage. It is concerned with the way CCS is understood by social actors, how disputes and tensions about CCS are managed by societies, the complex problems governments must negotiate concerning the uptake of this new technology, and the development of appropriate policy and regulatory frameworks.

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies have increasingly been brought to the fore as a tool to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve CO2 stabilization. Cautious optimism reflects dominant perceptions of CCS: CCS is not the silver bullet to solve the climate problem, but remains a necessary option in a larger portfolio of diverse climate mitigation strategies. In the current policy debate, CCS is advanced as an option in the context of a portfolio of climate change mitigation strategies, such as transition to renewable energy, promotion of energy efficiency and other low-carbon alternatives such as nuclear and hydropower. The past years CCS has become increasingly embedded in EU's energy and climate policy making, such as the 2008 framework directive on CCS as well the UNFCCC post-2012 climate negotiations. While CCS is seen as one of many necessary mitigation options among political elites and industry, the technology is becoming increasingly contested among environmentalists and parliamentarians.

	Theme 1: CCS and the emergence of long-term climate and energy strategies
	Theme 2: Policy supports, regulatory environment, and societal acceptability
	Theme 3: CCS in international organizations, climate diplomacy and treaties
	Theme 4: CCS in key developing countries

Participating partners are invited to access our intranet server here.

A special issue on the politics and policy of CCS was published in the journal Global Environmental Change in May 2011 with contributions from many of the project partners

The third Mistra workshop on the Politics and Policy of CCS was hosted by Professor Michael Oppenheimer at Princeton University October 14-15 2010. Workshop program (pdf)

Heleen de Coninck and Mikael Roman participated in a panel on the International Politics of CCS at International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Technologies (GHGT) in Amsterdam 19-23 September 2010. The panel is summarized in this newsletter

Karin Bäckstrand and Katarina Buhr participated in a Nordic Top-Level Research Initiative workshop on Carbon Capture and Storage in Copenhagen June 2010. See program (pdf)

Nils Markusson and Atsushi Ishii organised a session STS and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): Beyond Publics at the 35th Society of the Social Studies of Science (4S) Annual Meeting, STS in Global Contexts, Tokyo, August 2010

The Dutch Energy Research Centre now has a website on CCS in Southern Africa

Gabriel Stille gives a special report on The Politics and Policy of CCS in Poland

Earth Negotiation Bulletin covered the Mistra side event on Carbon Capture and Storage at the COP15 Climate Summit in Copenhagen, see film

Mikael Roman participated in the South African Carbon Capture and Storage Conference 29-30 September 2009

IEA released technology road map for carbon capture and storage, 13 October 2009

Heleen De Coninck and Karin Bäckstrand participated in an International Workshop and Carbon Markets Partnerships with a CCS session 4-5 November in Gaborone, Botswana

Mistra portraiting Michael Oppenheimer

James Meadowcroft and Olof Langhelle are editors of Caching the Carbon: The Politics and Policy of Carbon Capture and Storage, which will be published in January 2010 by Edward Elgar

Upcoming conferences:

10th Annual Conference on Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Pittsburgh, May 2-5 2011

Project Coordinator:
Karin Bäckstrand, Department of Political Science, Lund University
karin.backstrand(AT)svet.lu.se, +46 46 222 47 63

Project Assistant:
Cecilia Kardum-Smith, LUCSUS, Lund University
cecilia.kardumsmith(AT)lucsus.lu.se, +46 46 222 04 70

Website Manager:
Rasmus Karlsson, Department of Political Science,
rasmus.karlsson(AT)svet.lu.se

Senior Adviser:
Professor Michael Oppenheimer, Princeton University
omichael(AT)princeton.edu