Why carbon capture is key to achieving net-zero goal, Pg17

Key Highlights:

• The government has allocated Rs 20,000 crore in the Budget for developing Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) solutions over the next five years.
• CCUS technologies aim to reduce the carbon footprint of critical industries and help India achieve net-zero emissions in the long term.
• Globally, only about 50 million tonnes of CO₂ are captured annually, which is less than 0.5% of the nearly 40 billion tonnes emitted.
• India aims to achieve net-zero status by 2070, announced at the Glasgow climate conference in 2021, and is promoting indigenous CCUS technologies.

Detailed Insights:

• CCUS technologies involve capturing CO₂ from industrial processes and either storing it or converting it into useful chemicals.
• These technologies are essential for sectors like steel and cement, where CO₂ emissions are intrinsic to the production process.
• The budgetary allocation aims to test and scale up promising CCUS technologies that have shown potential in laboratories.
• The Department of Science and Technology released a CCUS R&D roadmap for 2030 to address technology, finance, and policy bottlenecks.
• CCUS can help Indian industries meet carbon-related tariffs like the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) in the European Union.
• Centres of Excellence at IIT Bombay and Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research are working on homegrown CCUS solutions.

Key Concepts Involved:

• Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS): Technologies that capture CO₂ emissions and either store them or convert them into useful products.
• Net-Zero Emissions: Achieving a balance between the amount of greenhouse gases produced and the amount removed from the atmosphere.
• Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM): A carbon tariff on imports based on the carbon intensity of their production.