An Integrated Approach to Carbon Management: Requirements of an Overall Strategy Combining CCS, CCU and CDR

Carbon management aims to kept existing carbon dioxide (CO₂) out of – or remove it from – the atmosphere, so it doesn’t contribute to global warming or remaining greenhouse gas emissions can be offset. Another goal is to supply carbon for manufacturing products without using fossil raw materials. Carbon management is built on three pillars:

• Carbon Capture & Storage (CCS)
• Carbon Capture & Utilization (CCU)
• Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR)

Germany’s Federal Government is seeking to create a strategic framework for carbon management in Germany on the basis of two strategies: the Carbon Management Strategy (CMS) and the Long-term Strategy on Negative Emissions (LNe). To this end, it has set out some initial key points.

The Impulse paper on this subject from the Academies’ Project “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS) uses these key points to set out the role of carbon management and its limits when it comes to climate action:

• Can the climate action goals be achieved without carbon management?
• How does carbon management measure up against avoidance of greenhouse gas emissions?
• Why is carbon storage important?

In certain sectors – like the cement industry and agriculture – the production of greenhouse gas emissions cannot be completely avoided for the time being. The goal of climate neutrality by 2045 will therefore not be achievable without capturing and permanently storing carbon. Relying solely on storing it in vegetation and soil would seem to be too risky.

At the same time, carbon management can and should only make limited contributions to climate action. The necessary technologies must be brought into widespread use and, in some cases, newly developed. This takes time, meaning at least initial decisions on rollout of carbon management must be taken as a matter of urgency. Shared infrastructure, technological components and natural resources also require an overarching consideration of CCS, CCU and CDR.

The Impulse paper identifies the challenges that need to be met and the improvements that must be made within the key points before the CMS and LNe can ultimately form a coherent overall carbon management strategy. It also illustrates regulatory policy options for achieving climate neutrality and, further down the road, net-negative emissions.

To the press release

Pfeiffer, Johannes/Erlach, Berit/Fischedick, Manfred/Fuss, Sabine/Geden, Oliver/Löschel, Andreas/Pittel, Karen/Ragwitz, Mario/Stephanos, Cyril/Weidlich, Anke: “An Integrated Approach to Carbon Management: Requirements of an Overall Strategy Combining CCS, CCU and CDR” (Discussion Paper), Series on “Energy Systems of the Future” (ESYS), 2024.