The possibility of extracting and storing CO2 in a safe place to avoid emissions has for many years been considered a future remedy to the climate problem. The attractiveness of CO2 storage, and also its weakness in the eyes of its opponents, is that it offers a method to reduce emissions that does not require major changes in the energy supply system, at least for some time. Storage of CO2 in structures under the ocean floor is one promising option. Norway has taken a particular interest in this theme, due to its position as a CO2 emitter connected to offshore oil and gas production, as well as to the existence of geological formations suitable for storage. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the challenges related to carbon storage as a climate policy measure, exemplified by the case of Norway. Based on the experience of Norway, the paper winds up by discussing implications for the climate regime of bringing the issue into the formal channels of the UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol.

This report was a contribution to the book Governing Climate: The Struggle for a Global Framework Beyond Kyoto edited by Taishi Sugiyama and published by IISD