Carbon Capture: An Impact Tool in a Very Large Toolbox
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been touted as a climate change game-changer since at least the turn of the 21st century, but its actual impact has been less than promising. While it certainly has a role to play in reducing carbon emissions and bringing our planet back from the point of no return, obstacles—primarily cost—stand in the way of making CCS a major player on a global scale.
CCS is better thought of as one tool in a much larger toolbox, and success will depend on using all of the tools that are available to us. A varied approach, one that combines CCS with innovation, smarter utilization of energy sources and better regulatory support will be needed. The energy sector must stop standing idly, waiting for the next big thing the industry can collectively do to reduce carbon emissions, but rather be open and transparent, exercise corporate social responsibility and embrace a strategy of doing a number of little things.
While CCS alone won’t solve the problem, there are still ways to enhance its effectiveness and integrate it more strategically into broader decarbonization efforts. By improving the efficiency of CCS, reducing costs and aligning it with other sustainability initiatives, this technology will become a larger part of the solution, with far-reaching implications. The key lies in refining the implementation of CCS and aligning it with other critical technologies and policies.
Ed Betts
