Environment and social acceptance

How is public acceptance affected by CDRmare, CCS experiments, and knowledge transfer?

AIMS3 is trying to establish social science measures and modern investigation methods to unravel the broader perspective of how CCS methods gain acceptance, with a focus on the German public. This will consist of both broad-based online surveys to gain a picture of a representative sample of the German population and more targeted formats to capture detailed insights into the perspectives of the population located near potential application spots. For example, within the format of Citizen’s Jury workshops, an in-depth understanding of conflicting goals and underlying attitudes will be generated.

The first citizens’ workshop based on the model of a citizen jury took place on February 28, 2024, at MARUM – Center for Marine Environmental Sciences at the University of Bremen. The participants were a small group (12-15 people) with little to no previous experience of CCS (carbon capture and storage) and some extent represented a cross-section of the population. This is related to age and gender, employment status, and migration background. After a brief round of introductions, the group was presented with two different CS (carbon storage) methods in a specialist presentation, which were then analyzed as part of the moderated discussion.

The participants drew up a comprehensive statement that highlights various aspects. They emphasized the importance of transparent communication in research and decision-making processes. They expressed concern about possible geopolitical implications and called for a clear financial distinction between public and industrial funding of potential projects.

The question of responsibility and oversight in CO2 sequestration was also a key focus, as were concerns about potential impacts on CO2 reduction efforts in other areas. The participants called for a transparent comparison of CCS with other CO2 storage methods in order to achieve the German government’s climate targets.

In the final discussion, the participants emphasized the importance of different perspectives and rated the workshop as a welcome participation format. They also pointed out the urgency of effective technologies to reduce the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

In the future, similar participation formats are planned.
If you are interested, please contact us.

You can find the workshop participants’ statement here (German):

Citizens consult with experts on CCS at MARUM (Photo: MARUM, University of Bremen)