Most assessments of carbon capture and storage (CCS) characterise technologies in terms of annual or cumulative avoided emissions. However, the ultimate purpose of CCS is not the abatement of emissions, but the avoidance of damages to be expected from climate change. Two CO2 storage and monitoring projects have injected so far more than 5 Mt CO2 into a depleted oil field and more than 10 Mt CO2 into a deep saline formation without detectable leakage. However, technology assessments mention the possibility of rapid leakage paths, for example in form of failed wells. This report presents a thorough analysis of the relationship between CO2 leakage and global temperature change.
