​CCUS featured in the first Global Dialogue under the Paris Agreement’s Mitigation Work Programme.

In COP26 in Glasgow Parties established a work programme to urgently scale up mitigation ambition and implementation in this critical decade, in a manner that complements the global stocktake. For this purpose, in COP27 in Egypt, Parties agreed to a Mitigation work programme to hold at least two “global dialogues” each year. The full title of the first event was the “Global Dialogue and Investment-Focused Event under the Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme (MWP)” and took place from 3 to 5 June 2023 in Bonn.

The theme for the first Global Dialogue was chosen to be “Accelerating the Just Energy Transition”, and to focus on four areas of renewable energy, grid and energy storage, CCUS, and energy efficiency.After the plenary overview presentations on all four areas, the participants were sent to four breakout rooms which were then visited in turn by the expert(s) and a facilitator, the role of the experts to answer questions from the participants.The questions posed to participants were:

• “What are opportunities, best practices and actionable solutions for just energy transition to urgently scale up mitigation ambition and implementation in this critical decade in each of the respective sub-topics (renewable energy, grid and energy storage, energy efficiency, CCU and CCS)?
• What are effective policies and measures implemented from a global perspective and country-specific experience for each of the respective sub-topic?
• How are financial, technological and capacity-building needs addressed for each of the respective sub-topics?
• How are the issues of international cooperation, including with non-Party stakeholders, and provision of support to developing countries addressed?
• How is sustainable development promoted and what are the socioeconomic effects under each of the respective sub-topics?”

Jarad Daniels, CEO of the Global CCS Institute, was invited as the expert on CCS to give the overview presentation on CCS in plenary and then to be on-hand for questions from Parties and Observers. I was honoured to be invited by Jarad and allowed by the organisers to support as him an expert.The facilitator for CCS was Stig Svenningsen. In the four breakout sessions on CCS, many views and questions were shared by countries and by observers (many were environmental NGOs). Many were around seeking information on CCS, for example on regulations on storage, on risks, on carbon accounting, and some questioning the role of CCS in the power sector. Many developing countries asked for assistance with knowledge sharing. Jarad and I provided answers to all the questions and directed to relevant solutions and information available such as from UNFCCC, IPCC, IEA, ISO and our own organisations.Over the four hours of breakout sessions on CCS, there was a general consensus that CCS is needed for industrial sources and that developing countries need assistance with knowledge sharing. There was an emphasis on CCS not being used as an excuse to not reduce emissions by other means. It was great to be participating to answer so many questions. In that sense, it was similar to a COP official side event, but much longer. This represented an excellent collaboration between the Global Institute and IEAGHG.Thank you again to Jarad, and to Stig and the Mitigation Work Programme Co-chairs as the organisers, for a stimulating engagement with very many countries and NGOs. More information on this meeting and recordings of the sessions are available at First Global Dialogue and Investment Focused Event under the Sharm el-Sheikh Mitigation Ambition and Implementation Work Programme | UNFCCC (with the CCUS breakouts being on day 1 consecutively in rooms Bangkok, Bonn, Genf, and Nairobi). A report of the meeting will be produced by UNFCCC in due course. The next Global Dialogue event will be hosted by Egypt, with themes and topics to be decided. For more information in general see Sharm el-Sheikh mitigation ambition and implementation work programme | UNFCCC