What does BECCS stand for, and what is its potential climate impact?

• A. BECCS stands for Bioenergy with energy capture and storage; biomass energy CO2 is captured, potentially negative emissions if sustainability ensured.
• B. BECCS stands for Bioenergy with carbon capture and storage; biomass energy CO2 is captured, potentially negative emissions if sustainability ensured.
• C. BECCS stands for Biochemical energy conversion with carbon storage; biomass CO2 is stored.
• D. BECCS stands for Biomass energy with CO2 emission and sequestration; It increases CO2.

Answer: (B)

BECCS stands for Bioenergy with Carbon Capture and Storage. It couples bioenergy use with capturing the CO2 released during energy production and storing it underground or underground-like reservoirs. The key idea is that the biomass has already absorbed CO2 as it grew, so if the CO2 is captured and stored rather than released back to the atmosphere, the overall effect can be negative emissions—removing CO2 from the air—provided the biomass is sourced sustainably and the storage is secure. If the feedstock comes with a carbon debt (for example, from land-use change) or storage isn’t permanent, the net effect can be much less or even positive in emissions. The other options either misstate what BECCS stands for or imply it increases CO2, which isn’t consistent with how BECCS is intended to work.