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Introduction
World Meteorology Organization (WMO), which has been recording
atmospheric temperatures since 1850, announced that the eighteen hottest
years were recorded in the last 20 years. In addition, the atmospheric CO2
concentration increased from 310 ppm to 409,8 ppm between the years, 1960
and 2020 (Lindsey R., 2020). Anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions
are seen as the leading cause of the increase in the atmospheric CO2 and
the global average temperature. This change in temperature based on
anthropogenic activities, in 2017, was found to be around 1°C (possibly between
0,8°C and 1,2°C) above the pre-industrial period, and the temperature has
risen by 0,2°C (possibly between 0,1°C and 0,3°C) every decade (IPCC, 2014).
The temperature increase results in a rise in the frequency and severity of
extreme weather events such as floods, hurricanes, droughts, and heat waves,
and a rise in sea levels. Also, it is thought that the carbon sinks in the oceans
and lands are less effective in reducing CO accumulation in the atmosphere.
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This situation endangers human lives and eco-systems on Earth directly or
indirectly (IPCC, 2021; Kenarsari et al., 2013)
The Paris Climate Agreement, held as part of United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) was signed by around 200
countries including Türkiye. Its main purpose was to keep the global
temperature increase below 2°C, or even confine it to 1.5°C compared to the
pre-industrial levels; thereby, reduce the risks and effects of global warming.
The 1.5°C objective was reiterated in the 26th United Nations Climate Change
Conference (COP26), recently held in Glasgow.
In order to keep the anthropogenic global warming below the defined
levels, there is need for neutral carbon balance and the achievement of “net
zero“ CO emissions in the second half of this century. The “net zero“ target
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requires rapid and comprehensive transformation of energy and industrial
sectors. All transitionary scenarios almost unanimously agree that to reach
the 1,5°C global warming goal, CO Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS)
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practices should be utilized for decarbonization of the fossil-fuel-based energy
production, cement, iron & steel and chemical manufacturing activities as well
as the hydrogen which will be produced at larger scale. (Mai Bui, 2020). In the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment Report, it
was stated that climate models that do not include CCUS practices fall short
of reaching the emission mitigation goals. More importantly, it was revealed
that mitigation costs in these models increase by around 138% compared
to scenarios with CCUS practices. This means that renewable energy and
nuclear energy will fail to reach the 1.5°C global temperature increase on their
own. For this reason, CCUS technologies play a crucial role in reaching the
62 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate,