Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): Its Potential Role in Climate Change Mitigation
Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): Its Potential Role in Climate Change Mitigation
Up until recently, I kinda thought something like what the IEA report on The Oil and Gas Industry in Net Zero Transitions said:
Carbon capture, utilisation and storage is an essential technology for achieving net zero emissions in certain sectors and circumstances, but it is not a way to retain the status quo.
Lately, I tend to believe that the latter part of this sentence is what's actually happening. That these topics of capture, removal and storage are promoted by Big Oil & Gas, to deflect the topic from the need of fossil fuels to stay in the ground, so that they keep doing business as usual.
Edit: Thought of adding a relevant article from last year.
Yeah, I've been increasingly cynical about this kind of thing. I wouldn't say that I'm against developing carbon capture technologies, but I am immediately suspicious of anyone who suggests it as something that could help against climate change.
If you're one for video essays, you might enjoy this, if you haven't seen it already. https://youtu.be/uCuy1DaQzWI
Just finished it and I really enjoyed their analysis. I'll definitely check out more videos of this channel.
I am a geologist that works in the field of characterizing reservoirs for CCS projects. The way I see it, some fossil-fuel industries are here to stay and the best we can do is mitigate their emissions into the atmosphere. Take the UK, they got rid of their coal plants after 100 years and replaced it mainly with natural gas-burning plants, that energy portfolio is not changing to, say, wind or solar anytime soon but now the government (both parties too) are heavily investing in connecting those plants to CO2 storage in the bedrock of the North Sea (which has been demonstrated to be safe).
Industrializing industries in Africa are also starting to construct new fossil fuel plants with CCUS technology. Fossil fuel burning is inherent to developing countries and at least technology can make the industrialization less dirty.
Sorry Iâm on mobile and would provide some sources. I can add them if youâre interested.