Carbon capture and climate intervention
19 cases in 10 countries, 1991–2025. Most cases: United States (8), Canada (4), Australia (2), United Kingdom (2), Norway (2).
Alberta and Ottawa tie new oil pipeline to Pathways carbon capture plan
A November 2025 agreement between Alberta and the federal government links a new 1 million barrel-per-day West Coast oil pipeline to Pathways, a planned carbon capture scheme for oil sands. Whether it cuts emissions depends on how much carbon is captured and stored, which the cited sources do not measure.
Stardust Solutions raises $60 million for solar geoengineering
Israeli-US startup Stardust Solutions raised $60 million in October 2025 to develop solar geoengineering, a method of reflecting sunlight to cool the planet. The sources name no test location and no government contract.
Santos's Moomba CCS stores 2 million tonnes and earns 1.19 million carbon credits
Santos's Moomba carbon capture and storage operation in South Australia stored about 2 million tonnes of CO2 in 18 months and had earned over 1.19 million Australian carbon credits (ACCUs) by September 2025. The reviewed material does not say whether the stored volume was independently verified.
UK agreed up to £21.7bn over 25 years for two CCS clusters
The UK government agreed in October 2024 to provide up to £21.7bn over 25 years to carbon capture and storage clusters in Teesside and Merseyside, funded through energy bill levies and the Treasury. The cited sources do not show how much emissions the clusters would cut.
Occidental Stratos direct air capture plant (Texas)
Occidental is building a direct air capture plant in Texas with a planned capacity of 500,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year. The plant draws on federal tax credits, a federal hub allocation and outside investment, and its start-up has slipped to the end of 2026.
COP28 decision promoted carbon capture and left room for transition fuels
The December 2023 COP28 decision in Dubai encouraged carbon capture and left room for 'transition fuels'. Oil and gas companies that promote carbon capture also sit on its industry body, and the sources report that almost all 2023 carbon removal came from forestation.
Occidental buys Holocene as US carbon removal staff is cut to one person
Occidental bought the direct air capture company Holocene in April 2025, as the US Energy Department's carbon removal staff was reduced to one person. At stake for nature is how a 3.5 billion dollar direct air capture hub programme is spent.
Make Sunsets stratospheric balloon launches (Mexico)
A start-up founder launched weather balloons in Baja California in April 2022 without permits and later sold USD 10 "cooling credits" tied to releasing sulphur dioxide in the stratosphere. Mexico announced a ban on such experiments in January 2023.
Leaked DOE list marks first tranches for two direct air capture hubs 'terminate'
A leaked Energy Department list from October 2025 marked the first tranches for two direct air capture hubs 'terminate', according to Carbon Herald. The hubs are Occidental's South Texas hub and Project Cypress in Louisiana, and at stake for nature is whether public money for removing carbon from the air reaches working plants.
Climeworks' Iceland plants captured less CO2 than their stated capacity
Climeworks' Orca and Mammoth direct air capture plants in Iceland captured less CO2 than their stated capacity, according to Icelandic outlet Heimildin. The company blamed commissioning delays and cut 106 jobs in May 2025.
Harvard halts planned SCoPEx geoengineering balloon test in Sweden
Harvard abandoned its planned SCoPEx balloon experiment, a test of atmospheric geoengineering, after the Saami Council objected to a flight from Kiruna in northern Sweden. The flight never took place, so the sources record no effect on nature.
Texas Petra Nova carbon capture plant closed in 2020, reopened in 2023
The Petra Nova unit, built for about $1 billion to capture part of a Texas coal plant's flue gas, sent its CO2 to an oil field to recover more oil. What is at stake for nature is whether capturing CO2 cuts emissions when the captured gas is used to produce more oil.
Quest CCS (Shell, Alberta)
Shell's Quest carbon capture facility in Alberta, Canada, was presented as proof that the technology is safe and effective. Global Witness reported that over five years it captured 5 million tonnes of carbon and emitted 7.5 million tonnes of greenhouse gases.
Boundary Dam 3 carbon capture unit captured 7,095,042 tonnes by September 2025
SaskPower's carbon capture unit on Boundary Dam Unit 3 in Saskatchewan cost about C$1.5 billion, and the company's own figures show 7,095,042 tonnes captured from 2014 to September 2025. What is at stake for nature is whether the captured tonnage cuts emissions from the plant, which the sources do not measure.
45Q lobby coalition's founding director was named to head DOE carbon office
The coalition that campaigned for the US 45Q carbon capture tax credit saw its founding director named to head the Energy Department's fossil and carbon management office in 2022. The 2025 law raised the oil recovery credit to match storage, and much captured CO2 is used to recover more oil.
US 2025 tax law gave oil recovery the same carbon credit as permanent storage
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act of July 2025 gave carbon used for enhanced oil recovery the same 45Q tax credit as stored carbon. Enverus said this cut the breakeven price of an enhanced-oil-recovery barrel from $28 to $16, so public tax money now supports oil extraction.
Gorgon LNG carbon storage fell short; gap closed with credits
Chevron's Gorgon LNG plant in Western Australia was approved in 2006 on condition that it bury at least 80% of its reservoir CO2 over any five-year period, and it missed the target. The shortfall was closed by buying more than 5 million carbon credits, and the cited sources do not quantify the net climate effect.
In Salah CO2 storage at Krechba (Sonatrach, BP, Statoil)
A Sonatrach, BP and Statoil joint venture injected 3.8 million tonnes of CO2 at the Krechba gas field in the Algerian Sahara between 2004 and 2011. Injection was halted in June 2011; US Department of Energy laboratory work in 2012 reported that pressure may have migrated into the lower caprock.
Norway Longship and Northern Lights CCS; Sleipner
Norway funds Longship, a carbon capture and storage chain whose Northern Lights storage site, owned by Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, began injecting carbon dioxide in August 2025. The Sleipner field has reportedly stored carbon dioxide under the seabed since 1996.