Carbon Disposal Technologies ‘Needed to Slow Global Warming’

According to a climate change professor at Oxford University, it is imperative that the UK government invests in carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies if it is to be successful in meeting its environmental targets.

Professor Myles Allen, a leading expert on climate dynamics at the renowned school of learning, has intimated that without significant investment in CCS, it would be impossible to reduce net emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) to zero and as such, impossible to bring rises in global temperatures to a complete halt.

What is CCS?

After meeting at the COP21 climate change talks in Paris last year, countries all around the world pledged to reduce their emissions, thus limiting the amount of extra carbon which makes it into our atmosphere. This normally takes the form of reduced energy consumption, a conversion to clean energy generation methods (such as renewables, biomass and nuclear) and measures to improve air quality and reduce transport-related pollution.

CCS differs from these methods in that it attempts to trap amounts of carbon which are already present in the atmosphere and dispose of it in a safe and responsible manner. This is primarily achieved by burying carbon deposits in underground chambers, but can also happen via dissolution in the oceans and other methods. As such, it is more about remedying the issue than avoiding exacerbating it.

Though the UK is enjoying minor growth in its economy and has pledged to slowly cut emissions incrementally, not all nations are in the same situation. Professor Allen highlights the case of India in particular, pointing out that while economic growth in that nation is far higher, the emissions reductions do not match up.

Therefore, Professor Allen argues in his paper that Britain would do well to invest in CCS technologies in order to offset the increased emissions generated by nations such as India and prevent a global temperature hike which could have disastrous consequences.

The Government Remains Unconvinced

Despite these recent claims, the government has remained unshakeable on its decision to abandon a proposed £1bn investment in CCS, a decision which was taken last year. It’s thought that the expensive initial outlay involved in setting up CCS systems discouraged the Conservatives from keeping their promised pledge, which has led to widespread criticism.

It is certainly true that CCS technologies rely heavily on the accurate measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) in order to maintain safe levels of other pollutants in the environment as a direct result of their deployment. It’s also true that such systems can be very expensive to investigate, install and regulate. However, Professor Allen believes that the decision to abandon CCS while still pledging vast sums of money to nuclear reactors at Hinckley Point C is nonsensical.

“Saying that we should not [invest in this technology] because it is expensive and hard, when we know we are going to need it, is just daft,” he explained.

He was not the only one critical of the government’s decision, either. “Without CCS it will be extraordinarily difficult to make the deep cuts that all countries agreed at the Paris summit,” said Lisa Nandy, the shadow secretary for energy and climate change. “Britain should be at the forefront of pioneering expertise in this area to create jobs and build a new North Sea industry. The chancellor’s short-sighted decision to axe all support for these technologies could raise the cost of going green, and mean we miss out on investment.”