🌍 Global Carbon Capture Capacity in 2023: Who's Leading the Way?
- Timothy Pesi
- Oct 29, 2024
- 2 min read
With growing focus on 🌱 reducing carbon emissions, carbon capture has emerged as a critical strategy for combating climate change. In 2023, global carbon capture capacity stands at 55 million tonnes (Mt) per year, led predominantly by a few key players. Let’s dive in to see who's leading the charge and explore the various methods of carbon capture in use today. 👇
Key Highlights 🌟
Total Global Capacity: 55 Mt per year in 2023.
U.S. Lead: Holds the top position with 22.5 Mt, or 40.9% of global capture.
Brazil's Impact: Second-largest, with 10.6 Mt and a 19.3% share.
Canada & Australia : Each capturing 4 Mt, representing 7.3% of global capacity.
Emerging Players 🌱: China, Qatar, and Norway, contributing between 3-4% each.
Room for Growth 🚀: "Rest of the World" segment captures only 6.2%, highlighting opportunities for expansion.
Key Methods of Carbon Capture 🛠️
Post-Combustion Capture 🌬️: Captures CO₂ after fuel is burned, making it adaptable for power plants and industrial sites.
Pre-Combustion Capture ⚗️: Removes carbon before fuel combustion, used mainly in industrial settings.
Direct Air Capture (DAC) 🌍: Extracts CO₂ from ambient air, ideal for net-zero targets but currently costly.
BECCS 🌱: Combines bioenergy with carbon capture, resulting in net-negative emissions by storing CO₂ from bioenergy production.
Mineral Carbonation 🪨: Stores CO₂ by turning it into stable minerals, offering a long-term storage solution.
The Front Runners: U.S. and Brazil
The United States leads in carbon capture, with 22.5 Mt annually (40.9% of global total), showcasing its commitment to emissions reduction. Close behind, Brazil captures 10.6 Mt (19.3%), reflecting its balance of industrial growth with climate goals. 🌎💚
A Global Perspective 🌐
Canada and Australia each capture 4 Mt (7.3%) with significant industrial commitments, while 🇨🇳 China, 🇶🇦 Qatar, and 🇳🇴 Norway are steadily increasing their share, each contributing around 3-4%. 📉🌱
The Rest of the World 🌍: Room for Growth
With only 6.2% of the total capacity, other countries play a minor role in global carbon capture, highlighting a need for broader adoption in high-emission areas. 🚀🌱
The data, sourced from The Energy Institute’s 2024 Statistical Review of World Energy, reveals how a few key players are driving carbon capture forward while demonstrating the potential for others to close the gap in climate action. 🌍💪