Carbon Capture and Storage in the United Kingdom: History, Policies and Politics

This book is a concise but comprehensive guide to the history, present and possible futures of carbon capture and storage policy and action in the United Kingdom (UK).

There have been multiple failed starts, promises and “last chances” for carbon capture and storage (CCS) in Europe, North America, China and Australia, but thus far it has repeatedly collided with the political and economic realities that the technology is too expensive and complicated to gain and keep policymakers’ support. However, in the UK that might be changing, with explicit government support for CCS to help decarbonise industry. Set within the broader context of global interest in CCS, this book first outlines the technologies involved in the types of capture technology, transport options and storage options in the UK. It then briefly introduces an overarching policy analysis framework (John Kingdon’s multiple streams approach) and uses it to give an account of the long history of CCS interest and efforts in three chapters covering the 1970s to 2002, 2003 to 2015 and 2016 to the present day. Marc Hudson focusses on the various arguments made for the introduction of CCS, and the slowly shifting coalitions of actors who make those arguments, while contrasting these with the perspectives of those opposed to CCS.

This book will be of great interest to students, scholars and policymakers researching and working in the field, as well as the related areas of energy policy, energy transitions and climate change.