As of April 2026, only three ships are equipped to transport high-pressure carbon dioxide, while at least 85 specialized tankers are estimated to be needed to move the gas across oceans. International Energy Agency representatives and United Nations modelers state their projections reflect requirements to prevent extreme warming. A United Nations analysis suggests countries must collectively inject six billion tons of CO2 underground annually by mid-century. To operate at this scale, more than 2,000 geological reservoirs comparable to current large-scale projects would be necessary, requiring a new site to open every four days for the next 25 years.

Current global permanent carbon dioxide burial is less than the annual emissions of a single large power plant. Since 1996, 12 large-scale geological storage projects have commenced operations, while plans for an additional 12 have been abandoned. Projects in Norway, Algeria, Australia, and the U.S. have encountered operational difficulties.

Implementing carbon capture at industrial facilities would necessitate adding equipment that could double a facility's land footprint. Moving captured CO2 in the United States would require building over 68,000 miles of new pipelines within a little more than two decades, a distance greater than the entire U.S. interstate highway system. Global carbon capture pipelines could extend to hundreds of thousands of miles.

Some rock layers have been found to hold less CO2 than initial estimates, and the rock intended to seal CO2 could crack, leading to leaks. In separate incidents, one project experienced ground bulging above the injection site, and another saw CO2 escape from a nearby old oil industry well. Thorough, long-term monitoring involves substantial costs, and without it, potential leaks could go undetected. The financial implications of implementing CCS at scale are estimated to be tens of trillions of dollars.

U.S. taxpayers currently pay oil and gas companies $85 for every metric ton of CO2 placed underground. At this rate, global expenditure on CCS could reach half a trillion dollars per year by 2050. Models used by the United Nations and projections from the International Energy Agency indicate carbon capture and storage is required to avert extreme warming. The disparity between current infrastructure and future needs is evident in the limited number of specialized CO2 transport ships. Modelers who previously overestimated geological carbon storage potential also underestimated solar power.

Oil companies have supported university research into climate change solutions that permit continued oil and gas consumption for over four decades, with CCS being a favored solution within this research.