How a Secret Vote by U.N. Scientists Legitimized Carbon Capture and Skewed Decades of Climate Policy

How a Secret Vote by U.N. Scientists Legitimized Carbon Capture and Skewed Decades of Climate Policy by Katie Worth, ProPublica; additional reporting by Amy Westervelt and Maddie Stone, Drilled Co-published with Drilled October 30, 2026, 6:00 am https://www.propublica.org/article/carbon-capture-storage-fossil-fuel-sally-benson Reporting Highlights Scientists’ Secret Vote: A U.N. climate report legitimized carbon capture and storage, suggesting at least 99% of the CO2 would likely remain underground, despite scant empirical evidence. Oil Industry Favorite: Fossil fuel companies have identified carbon capture as a climate solution that will allow their industry to survive, and have pushed the U.N. and scientists to study it. Pattern of Underperformance: Decades later, major CO2 storage projects have suffered breakdowns, setbacks and cost overruns, while CCS remains central to climate models and policy.