EXPLAINER: One of the terms you’ll hear a lot in the climate debate is Carbon Capture Utilisation and Storage – CCUS, or just CCS. But what is it, and how does it work in practice?
The Carbon Capture process is a multi-step process which begins when fossil fuel companies take large amounts of money and insert them directly into political parties. The money is then mixed with other stimuli, such as lavish dinners and invitations to weddings. Other inducements, such as the promise of seven-figure board positions upon retirement from politics, are also added to the mix.
By this point in the process the politicians are said to be ‘captured’ – frozen motionless in a state of inaction against climate change, and unable to deliver on the electorate’s wishes.
This initial part of the process is known in technical circles as ‘donations’, although colloquially it is often also called ‘corruption’.
The second stage is a period of waiting, as the captured politicians are ‘stored’ for later use. This can last for several months or even years. When ready, the fossil fuel companies re-extract the money, in the form of political favours.
Due to a complex chemical reaction (known as ‘self interest’), by the time they are extracted, the favours can often be worth many times more than the initial money invested. For example, a few hundred grand and a fancy dinner can be converted into an opportunity to open up a multi-billion-dollar gas field a few years later.
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Image by Chris Murray
