At a recent conference in Berlin, many people spoke in support of a controversial technology: Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS).  Did we lose all those CCS supporters to the coal industry, or could there be good reason for their support of CCS?

Let me start with a disclosure: I have been trained by former U.S. Vice-President Al Gore to give presentations on climate change as part of The Climate Project, and am a passionate supporter of 350. Consequently, I strongly believe that one of the most important actions that the world needs to take is to stop the burning of coal in power plants that are not equipped with CCS. And because CCS technology is a far way from being economically viable, I viewed CCS as just an excuse to keep building new coal-fired power plants - with the empty promise that at some later point in time those plants will be equipped with CCS.

For those who are new to the term CCS: it is a method that captures CO2 before, during, or after the burning of organic material. (more…)

Reprinted with permission from Peter Montaque

The coal, oil, automobile, railroad and electric power industries are planning to “solve” the global warming problem by capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) and burying it a mile underground, hoping it will stay there forever. The plan is called CCS, short for “carbon capture and storage” (or sometimes “carbon capture and sequestration”).

Emitting CO2 into the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas) is thought to be the main human contribution to global warming.

If industry’s CCS plan were ever implemented, it would be the largest hazardous waste disposal project that humans have ever undertaken, and among the most dangerous as well. (more…)

Capturing and storing carbon dioxide (CCS) is predicted to be one of the most important measures to counter the threats to our climate. But the technology still hasn’t been tested in full scale, and the complications and risks it entails may have been grossly underestimated.

This is the conclusion drawn in Anders Hansson’s dissertation at the Department of Technology and Social Change, Linköping University.

He studied documents from the EU and the UN Climate Panel about CCS (Carbon dioxide Capture and Storing), as well as some of the research they are based on. The UN Climate Panel released its most thoroughly considered report ever last year, supported by an uncommonly unanimous research community.

The Climate Panel sees CCS as offering great potential. (more…)