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Short abstract:

This presentation compares fieldwork on social acceptance of CCS in Portugal and Spain, as part of the EU-funded project. It explores how factors such as policy, project stage, and geography influenced methodologies and strategies for examining citizen acceptance of CCS at the local level.

Long abstract:

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a climate change mitigation technology, recognized by the IPCC for its role in contributing to achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement. In line with this recognition, over recent decades, the European Union (EU) has significantly increased its investment in CCS technology, channelling substantial resources into the advancement of CCS research and development projects, currently at various stages of development. A central element of the EU investment is the recognition of the vital role played by public social acceptance of CCS. This includes understanding varying degrees of acceptance/opposition from different stakeholders, sectors, and citizens, and ensuring that citizens’ views and concerns are incorporated into projects under development. The significance of studying public acceptance of CCS is underscored by its innovative and contentious nature, the lack of public knowledge on the subject, and the substantial requirements for investment, infrastructure, and support from economic and political sectors.

This presentation delves into a comparative analysis of fieldwork on the social acceptance of CCS conducted in two European countries—Portugal and Spain—where geological storage projects are under evaluation as part of the EU-funded "CO2 Geological Pilots in Strategic Territories – PilotSTRATEGY" project (Grant Agreement No. 101022664). The fieldwork employed a mixed-method approach, comprising interviews, surveys, document analysis, and workshops with stakeholders and residents. We examine how factors such as political framework, stage of the project development, public awareness, and geographical considerations differently influenced our methodologies and strategies for examining citizen acceptance of CCS at the local level.