Current Government policy on technologies that suck carbon out of
the air could see heavy emitters dodge their responsibilities to
cut emissions, the Environmental Audit Committee warns Ministers
today.
At present, targets for greenhouse gas reductions and removal
targets are combined, offering little incentive for industries to
prioritise cutting emissions when the future option of negative
emission technologies (NETs) is there. The EAC has therefore
written to Business Secretary to demand that the
Government reviews its approach.
The EAC recognises the value in using NETs in industries such as
steel and cement, where options to decarbonise are often more
limited. However, MPs argue that the Government is failing to
take swift enough action to roll out technologies, with both
BECCS (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage) and DACCS
(direct air carbon capture and storage) at close to zero levels
of deployment in the UK.
Having reviewed the evidence it received on the issue, the EAC is
concerned that Government thinking in this area has been limited
and opportunities risk being missed. The Government is yet to
specify what sectors could benefit from NETS, and there is
currently no direction on the transport and infrastructure
projects that are necessary to roll out NETs.
Net zero cannot be met without technologies to remove emissions
from hard-to-decarbonise sectors. The EAC heard that the UK was
well situated to deliver engineered greenhouse gas removals,
given its access to some of the best geological storage in
Europe. The sector’s “number one ask” is for economic support to
generate private investment to support projects go further, and
the Committee presses the Government to set out its strategy
here.
MPs point out that clarity is urgently needed in Government
policy on developing BECCS, amid concerns that it could result in
widespread land use change which in turn could threaten
improvements in biodiversity. They press for this to be addressed
in the Government’s forthcoming Biomass Strategy to ensure BECCS
development is robustly monitored and any risks are mitigated.
Environmental Audit Committee Chairman, Rt Hon MP, said:
“Through our work, it is clear that Government thinking on
negative emissions technologies needs to be developed. These
technologies will play an important role in meeting net zero,
because to maintain viability of our steel and cement sectors
they need to find ways to restrict the volume of greenhouse
gases they emit.
“Presently there is little in terms of incentive, and very little
in terms of any Government direction or clarity. The fact that
removal and reduction targets are combined enables many sectors
averse or unable to cut emissions to dodge their
responsibilities. Transparency and accountability must be
improved by separating these targets out and highlighting the
work that needs to be done.
“The sector is raring to go as soon as the Government offers
direction and clarity, but with so many unknowns we can
understand why deployment of NETs in the UK is yet to gain
traction.”
