More than 500 organizations worldwide addressed the leaders of Canada and the US in an open letter today calling to turn down carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technology.
The reasoning for this appeal is that CCS and CCUS are allegedly “dangerous distractions” and “false solutions” to climate change. And a time when both countries are considering huge subsidies for the large-scale development of carbon capture technologies, the aim of the letter and the organizations behind is to raise awareness of the increasing threat of CCS.
The letter claims that carbon capture is not only unnecessary but also ineffective and highly risky. The group of organizations insists that CCS does not provide a possible solution for climate change and is, in fact, a distraction pushed by the major polluters that are responsible for the climate crisis in the first place.
Arguments Against Carbon Capture And Storage
In the open letter, the group numbering over 500 entities doesn’t only bash carbon capture but offers an alternative. According to the signatories, fossil fuels do not need to be fixed, but the world should move away from them altogether.
Investing such a lion’s share of public funds into CCS and CCUS technology only secures the reliance on fossil fuels in the years to come and puts off their substitution with renewable and much cheaper energy sources. What’s more, the letter said, captured CO2 emissions actually lead to increased oil production due to enhanced oil recovery.
The signatories urge policymakers and government officials to stop funding and even permitting CCS. And, instead, they suggest funneling public funds into the creation of sustainable climate change solutions that result in new jobs for oil and gas workers, energy efficiency, and the preservation of forests that capture and store CO2 naturally.
