Friday, October 11, 2013

Blog 5: Despite Climate Concern, Global Study Finds Fewer Carbon Capture Projects


            Although one of the Environmental Protection Agency policies are to limit carbon emissions, an other is to capture carbon emissions from coal refined power plants with the intention of sequestering it, meaning injecting it below the earths surface. C.C.S, carbon capture and sequestration, projects have fallen from 75 to 65 over the last year in a worldwide survey. Despite debates over the injection of carbon dioxide into the earth’s surface, carbon capture and storage has been ranked third among ways to reduce carbon emissions. Garth Lloyd, the GM of corporate affairs for the C.C.S Institute even stated that this “technology is not optional when addressing climate change.” Although studies have proven the influence of carbon dioxide having direct effects on climate change, countries like China (who is leading in carbon emissions) and the U.S. (not far behind China) have reported either postponing or completely cancelling projects that demonstrate this technology.

The idea behind using technology like this is consistency. There is no point in investing parts of governmental budgets if the projects close in a matter of a few years. It’s only the publics money wasted and no progress gained for the global environment. Although technology like this is helpful, the problem is that we are trying to remove carbon dioxide emissions that will continue to exist as long as fossil fuels are burned. The article briefly mentioned the use of renewable energy like solar and wind power in opposition to using coal, but society cannot afford for coal plants to be completely closed. It has to be a gradual change to renewable energy but one that also helps reinstate the current coal miners into trade schools so that an entire population isn’t rendered jobless (which would only increases economic struggle).

Breanna Steinke
Oct. 11 2013 
4:20 PM
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/11/science/earth/study-finds-setbacks-in-carbon-capture-projects.html?ref=world

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