Carbon Capture and Storage

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Fossil fuels such as coal and oil are expected to remain the dominant source of energy globally until 2030 and beyond.[1] The slow process of capital stock turnover and infrastructure change means that, though the use of alternative, low-emission energy sources is expected to increase substantially, we will continue to rely on fossil fuels to meet our energy needs for decades to come. Consequently, we need technologies that help reduce carbon dioxide emissions from fossil fuels to help the international community bridge the gap between our current energy profile and a low-carbon energy pathway for the future. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one such technology.

Through CCS, carbon dioxide can be captured from large point sources such as coal-fired power plants and stored either in deep geological formations, in the ocean or as mineral carbonates. By preventing carbon dioxide from being released into the atmosphere in the short term, CCS could help developed and developing countries mitigate climate change while new, low-emission technologies and energy sources are being developed. Therefore, between now and 2100, CCS could serve as an interim step on the path to a low-carbon future.

Given the potential for CCS to help Canada and other countries reduce their greenhouse gas emissions in the short term, IISD and its partners have initiated efforts to communicate the risks and benefits associated with this technology and explore key issues related to its development in Canada. To this end IISD was involved in two CCS forums held in 2007 and 2008:

Carbon Capture and Storage Communications Workshops (2007)

In September 2007, IISD, Climate Change Central and the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy held two linked, Canada-based workshops. The first workshop was designed to establish a basis of understanding for communicating the risks and benefits of CCS. The intent was to develop a way forward on the role of CCS in Canada's efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Outputs from the first workshop were fed into a second workshop focused on developing the strategic components and tools needed by a variety of stakeholders to enhance discussion of CCS as a greenhouse gas mitigation option in Canada. While a communications strategy typically addresses the objectives of a single stakeholder, IISD and its partners aimed to develop tools or other components that can be employed by all stakeholders, independent of their perspectives on CCS. The report Carbon Capture and Storage Communication Workshops: Final Report,published by Climate Change Central in 2007, provides a brief summary of the presentations made at the second workshop.

Thought Leaders Forum on Carbon Capture and Storage (2008)

On November 10, 2008, the Pembina Institute for Appropriate Development and the Institute for Sustainable Energy, Environment and Economy hosted the Thought Leaders Forum on Carbon Capture and Storage. IISD was pleased to be a sponsor of this event. The forum used collaborative working sessions and facilitated small group workshops to discuss and debate two critical CCS policy questions:

The report Carbon Capture and Storage Forum Proceedings was published by the Pembina Institute in December 2008. It captures options and policy-design suggestions related to CCS in the areas of evaluation criteria, long-term liability and implementation, as well as opinions and proposed revisions to the “straw models” presented at the forum.

[1] Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. 2007. "Summary for Policy Makers." IPCC Fourth Assessment Report, Working Group III.