Managing Uncertainties: The Making of IPCC’s - Special Report on Carbon Dioxide and Capture and Storage

Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is a technology that receives a growing recognition because of its extremely large potential in mitigating climate change. However, still large uncertainties concerning the very viability of this approach exist. With this background, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) published a report in 2005 making an assessment of CCS. This article discusses the compilation process of the report, based on information collected through interviews with key participants and document research, highlighting how CCS’s key uncertainties were estimated in the face of two disparate needs: scientific rigor and policy relevance.