Divergent or convergent? Acceptance of CCUS at regional and national levels

Carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) is seen by the IPCC and many governments as an important contribution to mitigating climate change, especially for hard-to-abate industries such as cement and waste-to-energy. Therefore, political strategies are being developed stating ambitious targets for CCUS implementation. However, the technology is (still) largely unfamiliar to the broad public in Europe and has been eyed critically by the public in the past. This study assesses the public perceptions towards CCUS and the level of support for its implementation. It contrasts acceptance at the regional level with acceptance at the national level and explores their interrelationship. The empirical basis of this study is formed by representative household surveys in two countries, namely Greece and Italy (overall n=3042). The findings indicate that acceptance levels are quite high, with the lowest levels of acceptance in the regional sample in Greece and comparable levels of acceptance in the other three samples. The findings further provide some indication that individuals' prior personal beliefs, their personal familiarity with CCUS and the study areas, their specific attitudes towards a potential implementation of CCUS, and their socio-economic characteristics are influential for their acceptance of implementing the technology at the local level. In particular, attitudes towards the implementation process and its expected local impacts appear to be most relevant for individuals' acceptance evaluations. Our findings underscore the importance of properly engaging the public at national and regional levels, taking into account their preferences and expectations, while also considering the regional and wider context and how it intersects with public perceptions.