Letter on carbon: Reality check

The IEA has tempered recent optimism over CCUS with a downbeat assessment of the technology’s role in achieving net zero

The IEA has talked up the potential role of CCUS in the net-zero project in recent years, but its patience with the technology’s pace of development now appears to be wearing thin. “After years of underperformance, CCUS must now show it can deliver,” it said in the latest iteration of its influential Net Zero Roadmap. “So far, the history of CCUS has largely been one of unmet expectations. Progress has been slow and deployment relatively flat for years.” The IEA’s somewhat scathing assessment of CCUS’ progress comes with a downgrade of the technology’s projected contribution to global emission reductions, compared with forecasts in the 2021 edition of the roadmap. In Europe, the North