Why carbon capture technology cannot realistically solve climate change
Summary
This article argues that carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is a false promise that cannot realistically solve climate change. It outlines the enormous scale required — injecting 6 billion tons of CO2 underground annually by mid-century — and details the four main methods of capturing carbon (from smokestacks, from biomass, direct air capture with fans, and absorption by plants). The piece contends that the technical, economic, and logistical challenges make CCS unworkable at the necessary scale, and that it serves as a dangerous distraction from the real solutions of reducing emissions at the source.
Source
bskyWhy carbon capture technology cannot realistically solve climate changeprojects.propublica.orgKey quotes
· 4 pulledGetting 6 billion tons of CO2 a year out of the atmosphere, though, is a daunting task.
To make CCS work, we would need to capture CO2 pollution in four ways: Trap it from smoke stacks. Absorb it from the air with fast-growing grasses or trees, then capture it from those plants when they are burned for fuel. Scrub it from the air, often using giant fans.
The U.N. analysis now suggests that countries must inject 6 billion tons of CO2 underground each year by the middle of the century.
If all of this works, and the C
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