The German Federal Parliament recently passed a draft law proposed by the federal government, allowing carbon capture and storage (CCS) operations on the seabed.
According to reports from German news channels N-TV and Tagesspiegel, Germany could potentially store carbon dioxide on the seabed off its coast. The law, passed by the Federal Parliament on the 29th, lays the legal foundation for the use of carbon capture and storage technology. This technology allows for the capture of carbon dioxide produced during the production of cement, lime, and other materials, and its permanent storage on the seabed. Reports indicate that such operations are prohibited only in designated protected areas.
Social Democratic Party (SPD) member Dunja Kreiser emphasized that "seabed carbon capture and storage cannot replace ongoing climate protection measures on land; it is merely a supplementary option to address unavoidable residual emissions."
Meanwhile, members of parliament also approved amendments to the London Protocol regarding marine protection. These amendments allow for the export of carbon dioxide to other countries for storage there.
The opposition does not support the federal government's draft legislation. Fabian Fahl, climate policy spokesman for the left-wing caucus, accused the government of wanting to turn the ocean into a "dumping ground for fossil fuel lobbying groups."
