Managing uncertainties: The making of the IPCC’s Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage

Abstract

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is a technology that receives growing recognition because of its extremely great in mitigating climate change. However, uncertainties concerning the viability of this approach exist. With this background, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report in 2005 assessing of CCS. This article discusses the compilation process of the report, based on information collected through interviews with key participants and document research, highlighting how CCS’s key uncertainties were estimated in the face of two disparate needs: scientific rigor and policy relevance.