The Swiss government on Wednesday approved the export of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas linked to human activities, with the aim of storing it in the seabed abroad from next year, he announced.
“From 2024 it will be possible to export CO2 abroad in order to store it in the seabed,” says a press release from the Federal Council.
Aiming to stop global warming, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology consists of capturing carbon dioxide emissions at the exit of factory smokestacks and sequestering this carbon in geological reservoirs after liquefaction.
“The permanent storage of CO2 is essential as part of climate policy in order to achieve international and national climate goals,” adds the Swiss government.
He points out that the London Protocol to the 1972 Convention for the Prevention of Pollution of the Sea by the Dumping of Wastes and Other Substances prohibits any export of waste for disposal at sea, but an amendment introduced in 2009 provided an exemption for CO2.
By signing the Paris Climate Agreement, Switzerland committed to halving its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030 compared to 1990 levels and has set itself the long-term goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 to 85 percent by 2050.
But in August 2019 he decided to revise this target upwards and aim for CO2 neutrality from 2050. This so-called “net zero” target is anchored in the “Climate and Innovation Act”, which the Swiss population approved in a referendum in June 18 with 59.1% yes.
The complex and expensive CCS technology is seen by experts at the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency as necessary to stop the thermometer from rising, regardless of how quickly the world manages to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.
But some environmentalists fear such a tool could serve to prolong the exploitation of fossil fuels, divert valuable investment away from renewable energy or continue to pose the risk of leakage.
There are several dozen CCS projects worldwide.