International climate protection with special consideration of CCS technology. Quantitative analysis on a global level and for Germany

Since the beginning of the industrial revolution in the 18th century, the prosperity and economic development of almost all countries of the world has been significantly linked to the use of fossil fuels such as oil, coal or gas. When they are burned, however, greenhouse gases such as e.g. carbon dioxide (CO₂) released, which in turn accelerate anthropogenic climate change. Since CO₂ is distributed almost equally in the atmosphere, sustainable reduction must also be tackled as part of a global climate protection strategy. The electricity and heating sectors play a key role, as this sector accounts for approximately 50% of global CO₂ emissions. However, extensive CO₂ reduction commitments are causing significant changes in this sector and will result in a complete structural change in the medium and long term (for example, the growth of renewable energies, the use of storage technologies, etc.). One technology that can help transition to a 100% renewable electricity sector is Carbon Capture and Storage Technology - CCS for short. In coal or gas-fired power plants, the CO₂ contained in the exhaust gas is largely separated, transported and ultimately stored in underground storage facilities. In particular, rapidly growing economies such as China and India can thus draw on domestic and cheap fuels such as hard coal in power generation and still significantly reduce emissions in this sector. Against this background, the present work first presents the current state of knowledge on global warming and discusses necessary mitigation strategies for containment. A possible use of CCS technology is influenced by global climate protection goals and strategies as well as national and supranational energy and climate change policies. Based on this, the possible global diffusion of CCS technology in the area of conflict between CO₂ reduction paths, established power plant technologies and renewable energies will be investigated. A two-part model approach is followed. On the one hand, on the global level (until the year 2100), it will be modeled in different scenarios as to whether CCS represents an economic technology option for achieving ambitious climate protection goals. On the other hand, a possible diffusion of CCS technology at the national level in Germany is being modeled (until 2050). This approach identifies how the CO₂ reductions needed to reduce impacts on the production mix of a particular country.