A strong body of scientific evidence underscores the imperative of decarbonizing the global economy in order to avoid the worst potential impacts of climate change. Key strategies for achieving that goal include increasing energy efficiency, decarbonizing the power sector, switching to electricity and other low- and zero-carbon fuels, reducing non-CO₂ climate pollutants, and using both nature and technology to remove carbon from the atmosphere.

In the United States, achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 will require action across society—by governments, the private sector, and the public at large. It will require both innovative technologies and strong policies to ensure they are deployed. And apart from reducing the grave risks of climate change, it will provide a strong foundation for continued U.S. growth and competitiveness.

Getting to Zero: A U.S. Climate Agenda recommends that a U.S. decarbonization strategy be guided by these key objectives: achieving net-zero emissions no later than 2050, reestablishing U.S. global leadership on climate change, developing and mobilizing a broad array of technological solutions, promoting cost-effective solutions, protecting and enhancing U.S. competitiveness and energy security, ensuring an equitable transition, strengthening climate resilience, responding to new information and circumstances, and providing predictability to drive long-term investment.

The post Getting to Zero: A U.S. Climate Agenda appeared first on Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.

Because EOR is already widely practiced, it is not considered by this report. Instead, the focus is on non-EOR utilization of captured carbon, which offers the potential to significantly contribute to greenhouse gas emissions reduction. Pathways include the production of construction materials, fuels, plastics, chemicals, and algae-based products (e.g., fuels, animal feed, and fertilizers). Each of these sectors, along with their potential for market growth is explored herein.

While non-EOR carbon utilization does not, at present, greatly contribute to greenhouse gas reduction it offers significant potential to do so in the coming decades, given advances in technology, wider commercialization, and supportive government policies. CCU may be an especially useful tool for decarbonizing certain industrial sectors and providing an option in locations where either social issues or land constraints do not allow for other types of carbon disposition. Also, the continued development of CCU technologies may help drive carbon capture innovation generally, making broader greenhouse gas reductions possible.

Numerous government agencies, non-governmental entities, and academic institutions have recently considered the potential development of carbon utilization and how government polices might encourage it. Rather than duplicate that body of research, this report seeks to provide an overview of options, growth and greenhouse gas reduction potential summarized by use category.

This report discusses carbon utilization products and processes and focuses on policy actions that can foster growth in carbon utilization by 2030, in part because markets beyond that timeframe are difficult to predict, but mostly because deliberate near-term action is needed if CCU is to expand significantly. However, more general climate policies, such as carbon pricing or the inclusion of fossil-based carbon capture in clean energy standards, are also necessary to lay the foundation for a low-carbon economy that includes new demand for CCU-based products and processes.

The post Carbon Utilization: A Vital and Effective Pathway for Decarbonization appeared first on Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.