The development and implementation of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies plays an increasingly important part in European Union (EU) and global decarbonisation policies and strategies that seek to address climate change to achieve the Paris Agreement goals. Several studies have shown the important role social acceptance plays in determining the outcomes of CCUS projects and how social acceptance is shaped by the national and local contexts. Yet most studies on CCUS and social acceptance have focused on countries in northern Europe and North America despite the increasing numbers of CCUS projects in other regions of the world. This study seeks to help address this gap by conducting a case study on how local dynamics shaped people's acceptance and awareness of CCUS in a Greek community. Based on semi-structured interviews with community members near a CCUS pilot plant, this single case study explores the factors and dynamics that shaped the interviewees' perceptions of CCUS technologies. Our findings indicate that, despite the low level of awareness of CCUS technologies, participants could draw on their situated knowledge to identify potential drawbacks with their application. We identified scepticism regarding the adoption of new technologies and the organisations involved based on past experiences, and a notable lack provision of technology and location-specific information as well public engagement by the project consortium. Our recommendations for future projects and community engagement include the early involvement of the public in project development, location-based transparent information, appropriate channels to facilitate knowledge exchange, and educational initiatives to build communities' capability to influence projects.
Citation
STAVRIANAKIS, K., NIELSEN, J. and MORRISON, Z. 2024. Public perception and acceptance of CCUS: preliminary findings of a qualitative case study in Greece. Open research Europe [online], 3, article number 205, [version 3; peer review: 1 approved with reservations, 1 not approved]. Available from: https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.16663.3
https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.16663.1 (Original version [Version 1; peer reviewed; 2 approved with reservations, 1 not approved], submitted 21 Nov 2023)
https://doi.org/10.12688/openreseurope.16663.2 ([Version 2; peer review; 3 approved with reservation, 1 not approved] revised 13 Feb 2024)
Additional Information
Lay summary: Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) technologies are considered an important tool in an effort to mitigate climate change by reducing the carbon dioxide amounts emitted by different industries into the atmosphere. The public perception of these technologies is very important if these technologies are to be used in the future to decarbonise our societies. Through a series of interviews, this study attempts to better understand what the public thinks about CCUS in a rural area in Greece. We found that the public do not know a lot about those technologies, with some of the participants having never heard of CCUS before. Because of previous experiences, some participants were skeptical about the development of CCUS in their area, and they needed access to information that was more specific to their location. Our recommendations for future projects and community engagement include the early involvement of the public in project development, location-based transparent information, appropriate channels to facilitate knowledge exchange, and educational initiatives to build communities' capability to influence projects.
