The future of fossil fuels is at the center of the United Nations Climate Summit in Dubai, where many activists, experts, and countries are calling for an agreement to eliminate oil, gas, and coal that are responsible for warming the planet. On the other side: energy companies and oil-rich nations that have plans to continue drilling in the future.
What is carbon removal exactly?
Many industrial facilities, such as coal-fired power plants and ethanol factories, produce carbon dioxide. To prevent emissions of these greenhouse gases that cause global warming from reaching the atmosphere, companies can install equipment to separate that gas from all the other gases emitted from smokestacks and transport it to a place where it can be permanently stored underground. Even for industries that are trying to reduce emissions, some carbon is likely to be produced forever, such as cement manufacturers who use a chemical process that releases carbon dioxide.
What is carbon removal?
Instead of removing carbon from a centralized source, the goal is to remove carbon that is already present in the atmosphere. This is already happening with forest restoration, for example, but there is also a push to use technology. One type captures it directly from the air, using chemicals to extract carbon dioxide as the air passes through it.
For some people, carbon removal is essential during the global transition to clean energy that will take years. For example, despite the noticeable gains of electric vehicles in some countries, gas-powered cars will continue to operate in the future. Some industries, such as shipping and aviation, pose a challenge for a complete transition to zero-carbon.
How is it going?
Many experts say that the technology for carbon removal and storage works but is expensive and is still in its early days of application.
There are about 40 large carbon removal projects in operation worldwide, capturing about 45 million tons of carbon dioxide annually according to the International Energy Agency. This is a minimal amount – about 0.1% – of the total 36.8 billion tons of carbon dioxide emitted globally as calculated by the Global Carbon Project.
The International Energy Agency states that the history of carbon removal “has largely been a history of unfulfilled promises.” The group analyzed how the world could achieve net-zero emissions, and its pathway heavily relies on emissions reductions through decreased fossil fuel use. Carbon removal represents a very small part of the solution – less than 10% – but despite its relatively small role, its expansion remains delayed.
While the pace of new projects is increasing, they face significant obstacles. In the United States, there is opposition to carbon dioxide pipelines that transport carbon to storage sites. Safety is a concern; in 2020, a carbon dioxide pipeline ruptured in Mississippi, causing carbon dioxide to displace breathable air near the ground and sending dozens to hospitals. The federal government is working to improve safety standards.
Companies can also struggle to obtain permits. In South Dakota this year, regulators denied a construction permit for a 1,300-mile carbon dioxide pipeline network in the Midwest to transport carbon to a storage site in Illinois.
Who supports carbon removal?
The American Petroleum Institute states that oil and gas will remain a vital energy source for decades, meaning that for the world to reduce its carbon emissions, rapidly expanding carbon removal technology is “key to utilizing clean energy across the economy.” When examining the plans of most oil companies to achieve net-zero emissions, it turns out that most rely on carbon removal in some form.
The Biden administration is increasing investment in carbon capture and removal as well, based on America’s relatively large spending compared to the rest of the world. But it is an industry that needs financial support to attract private funding. The Inflation Reduction Act makes tax benefits much more generous. Investors can receive a credit of $180 per ton for removing carbon from the air and storing it underground, for example. The Department of Energy has billions to support new projects.
Investments are increasing. The Environmental Protection Agency is reviewing many applications for wells that could be used to store carbon. In places like Louisiana and North Dakota, local leaders are fighting to attract projects and investment.
Even left-leaning California has an ambitious climate plan that includes carbon capture and direct removal from the air. Leaders say there is no other way to achieve zero emissions.
Who is against it?
Some environmentalists say fossil fuel companies are undermining carbon capture to avoid the need to quickly phase out oil, gas, and coal.
There are also other issues. Some projects have not met their carbon removal goals. According to a U.S. government accountability report for 2021, of eight pilot projects aimed at capturing and storing carbon from coal plants, only one had started operating by the time the report was published despite hundreds of millions of dollars in funding.
Opponents also note that carbon capture could extend the life of a polluting plant that would otherwise close sooner. This could disproportionately affect low-income and minority communities that have long lived near highly polluting facilities.
They also point out that most of the carbon captured in the U.S. is injected underground to squeeze out more oil, a process called enhanced oil recovery.
Hausker says it’s vital for governments to implement policies that force less reliance on fossil fuels – which can be complemented by carbon capture and removal.
For more coverage of environmental news from AP, visit https://apnews.com/hub/climate-and-environment
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container{
display: flex;
justify-content: space-between;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container .lwrp-list-item{
width: calc(12% – 20px);
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item:not(.lwrp-no-posts-message-item){
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item img{
max-width: 100%;
height: auto;
object-fit: cover;
aspect-ratio: 1 / 1;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item.lwrp-empty-list-item{
background: initial !important;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-link .lwrp-list-link-title-text,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-no-posts-message{
}@media screen and (max-width: 480px) {
.lwrp.link-whisper-related-posts{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-title{
}.lwrp .lwrp-description{
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container{
flex-direction: column;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-multi-container ul.lwrp-list{
margin-top: 0px;
margin-bottom: 0px;
padding-top: 0px;
padding-bottom: 0px;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-double,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-triple{
width: 100%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container{
justify-content: initial;
flex-direction: column;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-row-container .lwrp-list-item{
width: 100%;
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item:not(.lwrp-no-posts-message-item){
}
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-link .lwrp-list-link-title-text,
.lwrp .lwrp-list-item .lwrp-list-no-posts-message{
};
}
Leave a Reply