University of Massachusetts, Amherst: Global Warming
Capturing Carbon from Power Plants to Prevent Global Warming Studied By UMass Amherst Researcher - 07/01/08
It sounds easy enough - combat global warming by capturing harmful carbon dioxide emissions from power plants before they hit the atmosphere. Then store them deep beneath the Earth. But researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst have shown that there are major technical and social hurdles to overcome before setting policy on carbon capture and storage (CCS).
"Many people responsible for setting climate policy are taking as a given a technology which appears to be somewhat controversial," says Erin Baker, a professor of mechanical and industrial engineering who specializes in alternative energy research that is based on economics and policy. "Our report concludes that we need to determine if carbon capture and storage is a viable option, both technically and socially, before we begin setting policy based on its use."
The need for carbon capture and storage is especially pressing in light of proposed legislation calling for drastic reductions in greenhouse gas emissions. The current consensus in the scientific community is that by the middle of the century, the world must limit the increase in temperature to two degrees Celsius. To meet that goal, a reduction in carbon dioxide emissions of at least 80 percent is needed by 2050.
U.S. Rep. Edward J. Markey, chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming, recently unveiled sweeping legislation that would mandate an 85 percent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, based on 2005 levels. If passed, Markey's bill would take effect in 2012.
"To meet these aggressive abatement goals, you really need carbon capture and storage as a viable technology, and the higher the abatement level you are targeting, the more you need carbon capture," says Baker. "Otherwise it would probably mean using large amounts of nuclear power, unless there is a breakthrough in another energy technology."
