Rocks’ Carbon Storage Potential Overestimated, Warns Study

Study Finds Rocks Can Store Less CO₂ Than Expected

Many governments and scientists see underground carbon storage as an important tool to fight climate change. The idea is simple: capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from factories or the air and inject it deep underground, where it stays trapped in rocks for centuries.

Until now, most people thought the Earth could store almost unlimited amounts of CO₂ this way. But a new study published in Nature shows that is not true.

According to the research, rocks can only safely hold about 1,460 billion tonnes of CO₂ worldwide. This is much less than earlier estimates. The study also found that carbon storage can lower global temperatures by only 0.7º C at most.

This means that underground storage cannot be the main solution to climate change. If countries plan their climate strategies assuming endless storage, they could make serious mistakes.

Instead, experts say governments should:

• Use carbon storage carefully as a limited resource
• Work harder to cut emissions directly
• Plan realistic, balanced climate strategies

The study makes one thing clear: storing carbon underground can help, but it cannot replace the urgent need to reduce greenhouse gases at the source.