Climate activists and scientists call on Labour government to pause plans for carbon capture

The UK’s ruling Labour government has promised to invest £1 billion in carbon capture, usage and storage (CCUS) to produce blue hydrogen and to capture planet-heating carbon dioxide. It is a controversial plan, luring a lot of attention from different parties.

Leading climate campaigners and scientists from the UK and US are calling on the government to pause plans for the huge investment in “green technologies” they say are unproven and are likely to make it harder for the UK to reach its net zero objectives, reported The Guardian.

‘Locking UK into fossil fuel production for generations’

In the letter to Ed Miliband, the energy security and net zero secretary, the scientists argue that the process in question relies on unproven technology and is going to cause huge emissions of carbon dioxide and methane – gases that are driving the climate crisis.

The letter argues that the planned investment is likely to:

1. Lock the UK into fossil fuel production for several generations

2. Trigger huge upstream emissions from methane leaks, transport and processing of LNG

3. Pose a danger to the public if there are any leaks from pipes transporting the captured carbon

There has been an instance of at least 45 people being rushed to hospital after a leak in the US. The entire carbon capture and storage technology is quite controversial and has attracted a lot of attention over the years. Its proponents say it can tackle climate change.