Climate crisis: ‘Virtually impossible’ to hit global environment targets without new carbon capture technology, report says

Largely untested technology will be ‘crucial’ in efforts to reach net zero, International Energy Agency report finds

Drax power plant in north Yorkshire is one of two major sites in the UK where carbon capture technology is being trialled (Getty)

Carbon dioxide emissions are the world’s biggest problem, and through the burning of fossil fuels which emit this potent greenhouse gas, our species is making it worse all the time.

As the heat rises, major initiatives aimed at cutting or reducing levels of CO2 emissions, such as the move towards renewable energy, are well underway, so too are parallel efforts which aim to suck up the CO2 still being produced by some industries and stop it from being vented into the atmosphere.

Despite carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies remaining largely in their infancy and untested at scale, a major report from the International Energy Agency (IEA) now states without their rapid uptake it will be “virtually impossible” for the world to hit the climate and energy goals set under the Paris climate agreement.