Survey shows mixed public awareness in Germany for CCS and BECCS

In Germany, technologies for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and then storing it underground (abbreviated CCS) have been the subject of research for over 20 years. With the CCS process, CO2 can be filtered out of the flue gas from large industrial plants and stored underground. This technology also plays an important role in other processes for extracting CO2 from the atmosphere, such as direct air capture (DAC) with subsequent storage in geological formations or capturing and storing CO2 produced by the industrial use of biomass (bioenergy with carbon capture and storage, BECCS).

Studies on public opinion about CCS reveal mixed levels of public awareness and acceptance of the technology. The level of awareness ranges from very low to moderate and often depends on whether those questioned live near an existing or planned CCS project. In our current surveys, about 36 percent say they know nothing about CCS and about 50 percent say they have heard of it.

Nearly half of those surveyed said they were very worried or moderately worried about CO2 storage, and 42 percent see CCS technologies as an environmental hazard. General concerns about the safety of long-term underground CO2 storage are widespread. Only some 13 percent have no worries and only around a quarter expect economic benefits from CCS.