“Our climate, our underground; understanding the slow implementation of carbon capture and storage”

Keywords: underground CO2 storage, energy transition, governance, power, conflict, knowledge politics, cultural sciences

Fossil fuels still play an important role in the global economy. In fact, the use of coal actually increased last year in the Netherlands. At the same time, strict CO2 reduction targets have been formulated to keep climate change in check. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is an important contributor to helping us achieve these goals. But the introduction of CO2 storage is extremely laborious. This dissertation examines how CCS is being implemented in different democratic countries. It appears that scientific knowledge about the necessity, safety and feasibility of CCS plays a crucial role in legitimising CO2 storage, but that it is simultaneously controversial or powerless against the more dominant market logic.