By: Ella Wang
In the past few months, the Biden administration along with some major companies such as Facebook and Google have invested millions into a new possible solution to climate change.
In February, the United Nations warned that climate change was on the verge of a climax, where island nations could soon be flooded, millions would have to flee their homes due to drought and famine, underwater habitats would become inhabitable, and deaths rates related to heat, pollution, and malnutrition would rise.
According to an article from NPR, global emissions would need to drop by 43% by 2030 and then fall to net-zero by mid-century, in order to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit).
Therefore, scientists have come up with a method that would ultimately slow the growth of climate change. This method takes carbon dioxide out of the air and stores it underground so that the CO2 won’t escape to heat up the planet.
This carbon capture technology first originated in the early 1970s, which was meant to increase gas production. However, as decades passed, this technology has now evolved into a solution to climate pollution.
According to the Global CCS Institute, there are 27 carbon capture projects worldwide, and 14 of which are in the U.S. 108 more projects are in developing stages of production.
Nonetheless, some climate activists claim that diverting carbon emissions will not work. According to an article from AZO Cleantech, the cost for CO2 capture would be tremendous and there is a possibility of leakage, thus not helping with climate change.
The emissions that come from the use of fossil fuels only account for about 25% of the total greenhouse gas emission, while 60% of all greenhouse gas emissions come from transportation, agriculture, and other related industrial activities. These emissions are currently not being captured by carbon capture and storage.
“The investment case for carbon capture and storage is weak,” Dominic Eagleton, a senior campaigner for Global Witness, an international organization that strives for a sustainable planet, said in an article from Washington Post. “There’s not really that much you can do with [it].”
Indeed, carbon capture emissions may be our first step to dealing with climate change. Though in the near future, we must advance our technology to its maximum point in order for it to be economically feasible.
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