Risk assessment and management frameworks for carbon capture and geological storage: a global perspective

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is included in the list of technological processes that could reduce point source carbon dioxide emissions that contribute to climate change. For geological storage projects, global frameworks for environmental and human health risk assessment (RA) and risk management (RM) have been developed within various regional and national jurisdictions as well as by non-government organisations since the 2005 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on CCS. This article provides an updated compendium of elaborated RA/RM frameworks in leading jurisdictions for CCS in the regulatory and non-regulatory contexts including online resources. Using a 3- or 4-step RA, there is an emphasis on storage site selection and characterisation; an iterative approach is recommended for RM emphasising monitoring and re-assessment; and other risk-based considerations such as communications and transparency are discussed more frequently in non-government guidance. Comprehensive risk estimation is not yet promoted.