Carbon capture: In focus like never before, but are we doing enough?

The drive for sustainability and the clean energies transition has never been more important, while the level of awareness and calls to action has arguably never been more prominent. In recent weeks alone, we’ve seen a definite strength in the Fridays for Future protests around the world so encouraged by the bold and inspiring climate activity Greta Thunberg, while the UN Climate Action Summit in New York that many of these protests were geared around resulted in some very pointed messages for us all.

But are we acting on these very clear messages and, crucially, are we moving fast enough? According to analysis from DNV GL, we are not. In its latest report, titled Energy Transition Outlook 2019, we’re simply not moving fast enough to secure the sustainable energy future we require.

Global energy-related emissions will only peak in 2025, and emissions will not fall sufficiently by 2050 to bring global warming to well below 2°C, it says. Even with the rapid changes in decarbonisation and energy intensity DNV GL forecasts, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions are still projected to be at around half of today’s level in 2050. Extrapolating the trends, DNV GL’s Outlook points towards a 2.4°C warming of the planet by the end of this century, over the pre-industrial average – a level considered dangerous by the IPCC and the world’s scientific community.