Campaigns, climate policy

Stop CCS: Open letter to the members of the German Bundestag and the Bundesrat

A gas plant in front of hills.

Together against the fossil error. Stop the CCS Act. Real climate protection solutions now.

The climate crisis is progressing. Their main cause: The continuous burning of coal, oil and gas. But instead of continuing the urgently needed phase-out of fossil fuels, the German government plans to invest billions of taxpayers' money in a technology that would prevent or at least delay this phase-out: CCS. CCS stands for Carbon Capture and Storage.

The draft law of the Federal Government (Draft law amending the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act) would allow refineries, power plants, waste incineration plants and production plants for plastics, fertilisers or cement to set up CO2 capture plants and transport the captured CO2 to final storage sites via pipelines, trains and ships – in the North Sea and potentially on land. The draft law aims at the development of large commercial CO2 capture plants, the construction of CO2 landfills and the construction of a comprehensive pipeline network throughout Germany to which every issuer would have a right to be connected – regardless of whether its CO2 emissions could not also be avoided from the outset. The more CO2 is created, the more profitable the business with CCS will be.

For this plan, the London Convention would be softened, a marine protection convention that prohibits the export of waste. Information, participation and legal rights of the population are also to be curtailed and expropriations for CO2 pipelines are to be facilitated. According to the draft law, the need for these CO2 landfills is above marine protection. CO2 pipelines through the Wadden Sea World Heritage Site are to be made possible. This bill does not contribute to climate protection, but on the contrary poses a threat to real climate protection.

CCS is an end-of-pipe technology that does not capture pre-chain emissions from the continued use of natural gas. This applies in particular to the extremely climate-damaging methane, which is released into the atmosphere in large quantities in the course of natural gas production. Carbon capture is also never complete, so significant amounts of CO2 continue to be emitted into the atmosphere despite CCS. CCS cannot therefore make an effective contribution to climate protection.

The injection of hundreds of millions of tonnes of CO2 under the seabed poses incalculable risks for humans and the environment and unpredictable monitoring problems. In the event of leaks, a network of thousands of kilometres of CO2 pipelines through densely populated areas endangers the lives and health of humans and animals. Land and local authorities face enormous planning costs as a result of the area-intensive infrastructural expansion – not to mention the destruction of nature that goes along with it. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change considers CCS to be the most expensive attempt to reduce CO2 emissions. He described the effectiveness as uncertain. Experience so far shows: Globally, CCS projects have failed. The high energy consumption, high residual emissions and the predominant use in oil and gas production ensure that CCS harms the climate and the environment. However, the German government is planning billions in subsidies for CCS installations and infrastructure.

The CCS error is dangerous for people and the environment. It exacerbates the climate crisis, pollutes the oceans and endangers the energy transition. The fossil fuel industry will benefit in particular. The cost of billions must be borne by society.

Let's stop the CCS law together!

We call on the members of the Bundestag and the provincial governments to:
• No adoption of the Act amending the Carbon Dioxide Storage Act
• Fastest possible phase-out of natural gas, coal and oil, especially in industry
• No softening of the London Protocol and the High Seas Transfer Act for CCS
• All power in energy saving and energy sufficiency, the environmentally compatible expansion of renewable energies up to 100%, resource-efficient production, circular economy and priority for natural climate protection.

Sign here:

    Bitte beweise, dass du kein Spambot bist und wähle das Symbol Haus.

    Signatory organisations, initiatives, communities, companies

    (The list will be updated further)

    Aktionsbündnis "Stop Westcastor"
    Energy Transition Action Alliance Heilbronn
    Action alliance Münsterland against nuclear plants
    Aktionsbündnis Stommelner Bürger “Leben ohne Braunkohle”
    Anti-nuclear group Freiburg
    Working Group Environment (AKU) Gronau
    Working Group Environmental Protection Bochum e.V. (AkU)
    attac Deutschland
    Berlin water table
    Bochum Climate Alliance (BoKlima)
    Bremer Weserkahn Franzius e.V.
    Buirer for Buir
    Association for the Environment and Nature Conservation (BUND) e.V.
    BUND Kreisgruppe Nordfriesland
    BUND Kreisgruppe Rhön-Grabfeld
    BUND Landesverband Baden Württemberg
    BUND Landesverband Berlin
    BUND Landesverband Brandenburg
    BUND Landesverband Bremen
    BUND Landesverband Hamburg
    BUND Landesverband Hessen
    BUND Landesverband Niedersachsen
    BUND Landesverband Nordrhein-Westfalen
    BUND Rheinland-Pfalz
    BUND Landesverband Schleswig-Holstein
    BUND Naturschutz
    Federal Association of Citizens' Initiatives Environmental Protection (BBU)
    Federal Association for Environmental Consultancy (bfub)
    BUNDYouth
    Citizens’ initiative “No Fracking” in the Völkersen natural gas field
    Citizens' initiative Flecken Langwedel against gas drilling
    Citizens' Initiative against CO2 Repository
    Citizens' Initiative Intschede Wesermarsch without drilling rigs
    Citizens' Initiative Lintler Geest against Gas Drilling
    Citizens' Initiative Rote Hand Thedinghausen/Achim
    Bürgerinitiative Saubere Luft Ostfriesland e.V
    Citizens' Initiative Clean Environment & Energy Altmark
    Citizens' Initiative Walle against GasBohren
    Dagebüll National Park watt guide
    German Environmental Aid (Deutsche Umwelthilfe e.V.)
    Ecosia GmbH
    Energy Watch Group, President Hans-Josef Fell
    European Energy Transition Community e.V.
    Extinction Rebellion
    Environment and Development Forum
    Fridays for Future Regensburg
    Municipality of Dagebüll
    Gemeinnütziger Umweltschutzverein pro grün e. V. Paderborn
    Public Welfare Economics Company Berlin-Brandenburg (GWU)
    Green Planet Energy eG
    Greenpeace e.V.
    GreenTEC Campus GmbH
    Hamburger Energietisch e.V.
    Climate change Flensburg
    Climate Alliance of Brandenburg
    Concept work New Economy
    KulturPflanzen e.V
    Landesverband Bürgerinitiativen Umwelt (LBU) Niedersachsen e.V.
    LENA Landsberger Energie Agentur e.V
    Last generation Regensburg
    Lokale AGENDA21 in Feldkirchen-Westerham
    Mannheim Kohlefrei
    MannheimZero (Germany)
    Mehrwegverband Deutschland e.V.
    Nachbarschaftsinitiative KA!SERN
    Naturefriends of Germany e.V.
    Nature conservation association Südtondern e.V.
    Nutzwerk Hamburg Global e.V.
    Ecumenical Work of the Northern Church
    Ökumenisches Netzwerk Klimagerechtigkeit
    Parents for Future Nordfriesland
    PowerShift e.V.
    Regionale Energie- und Klimaschutz Agentur e. V
    Robin Wood
    Round Table Renewable Energy (RT-EE)
    SC Sustainable Concepts GmbH, Dr.Hubert Aulich, President
    Wadden Sea protection station
    Scientists4Future Schleswig-Holstein/Kiel
    SEA ME GmbH (operator: in zerooo reusable system)
    SOFA (Immediate nuclear phase-out) Münster
    Solarverein Goldene Meile e.V.
    SPPK (UG) & Co. KG
    Environmental Institute of Munich
    Urgewald e.V.
    Association for Nature Conservation and Landscape Conservation in the Middle North Frisia e.V.
    Zukunftswerkstatt Wilhelmshaven e.V.

    International organisations:
    AbibiNsroma Foundation (Ghana)
    AirClim (Sweden)
    Association pour la Conservation et la Protection des Écosystèmes des Lacs et l'Agriculture Durable (DR Congo)
    Biofuelwatch (International)
    Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) (USA / international)
    Climate Action for Lifelong Learners (CALL) (Canada)
    Comité Schone Lucht (Netherlands)
    Earth Ethics, Inc. (USA)
    Earth Thrive (UK)
    Leefmilieu (Netherlands)
    Limity jsme my! (Czech Republic)
    Miljøforeningen Havnsø-Føllenslev (Denmark)
    Mobilisation for the Environment (Netherlands)
    NOAH Friends of the Earth Denmark (Denmark)
    Norwegian Forum for Development and the Environment (Norway)
    Oil Change International (International)
    Spire (Norway)
    Stowarzyszenie Ekologiczne EKO-UNIA (Poland)
    Zero Waste Europe (International)

    Supporting experts:
    Andy Gheorghiu Consulting
    Prof. Dr. Gunther Seckmeyer, Managing Director of the Institute of Meteorology and Climatology at Leibniz University Hannover
    Prof. Dr. sc. agr. habil. Kerstin Wydra, Chair 'Plant Production in Climate Change', Erfurt University of Applied Sciences
    Prof. Jürg Rohrer, Prof. for Ecological Engineering, Head of Research Group for Renewable Energy, ZHAW Zurich University of Applied Sciences

    More background information?
    CCS Short and Flush #2, not part of the drawing

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