Pause UK offshore CO₂ storage projects and conduct full safety and legal review
We ask the Government to pause all UK offshore CO₂ storage projects until a full independent safety, environmental and legal assessment is completed. Some research suggests that injecting impure CO₂ can risk acid formation, toxic metal release, and long-term damage to marine ecosystems and aquifers.
Signatures
29,587
signatures
Government response threshold (10,000) · 10,000/10,000 · reached
Debate threshold (100,000) · 29,587/100,000
- 19 MAR 2026Petition closedFinal total: 29,587 signatures
- 06 MAR 2026Government respondedDepartment for Energy Security and Net ZeroGovernment reply
There are no plans to pause the development of UK Offshore CO₂ storage projects. Government works with regulators and the public to ensure CO2 storage regulations support the safe deployment of CCUS.
Read full response - 12 FEB 202610,000 signatures reachedEligible for a government response
- 19 SEPT 2025Petition opened for signatures
Background
The Public Accounts Committee, Parliament’s own spending watchdog has already warned that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology is untested at scale in the UK and has a mixed record globally. We think large-scale CCS is being advanced at speed despite major gaps in transparency, regulation, and public consultation.