AZEC and East Asia Summit leaders have identified Carbon Capture, Utilisation, and Storage (CCUS) as a critical technology for achieving carbon neutrality while maintaining economic growth and energy security. Since each country has distinct national circumstances, diverse pathways are required, and CCUS plays a particularly vital role in reducing emissions from hard-to-abate industrial sectors such as cement and steel, as well as in supporting the transition from fossil fuels. CCUS encompasses two main approaches:

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): capturing and separating carbon dioxide emissions, then injecting them into deep underground formations such as depleted petroleum reservoirs, saline aquifers, or carbonate rock for permanent storage.

Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU): using captured carbon dioxide as a feedstock for producing chemicals and fuels. Often referred to as carbon recycling, this process keeps carbon dioxide within industrial systems – forming a 'carbon loop' – and prevents its immediate release into the atmosphere, in a way that mirrors natural carbon cycles. Our research on CCUS and carbon recycling focuses on supporting the acceleration of implementation in the region. This includes policy development, regulatory frameworks, technical and economic assessments, public acceptance, and safety considerations.