Carbon capture as a fig leaf for fossil fuel expansion: high cost, low impact versus renewables

A Guardian letters piece argues that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is being used to justify new fossil fuel infrastructure rather than to clean up existing emissions. The authors cite a projected UK cost of 264 billion pounds by 2050 for CCS, based on Climate Change Committee data, and note that global CCS currently captures under 40 megatonnes of CO2 per year, while solar and wind avoided 2,600 megatonnes in 2025 alone. The letters also point out that most of the UK's CCS spending would go to new gas power stations, not hard-to-abate industry. They argue that building new gas plants increases demand for imported LNG, which comes with significant upstream methane leaks that CCS does not address. The authors call for a faster shift to 100% renewables and natural climate solutions as more cost-effective alternatives.