The US Department of Energy (DOE) has announced the safe capture and storage of 10 million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2).

That’s the equivalent of removing more than two million cars from the roads a year.

Called carbon capture and storage (CCS), it is the separation and capture of CO2 from power plants and industrial emissions, which is then stored deep underground.

US Energy Secretary Ernest Moriz said: “The US is taking the lead in showing the world CCS can work.

“We have made the largest government investment in carbon capture and storage of any nation and these investments are being matched by private capital.”

CCS can also provide ways to reuse captured CO2. If the gas is injected into an oil reservoir, it can boost crude oil production.