Questions remain over carbon storage – Greenpeace

A new report on the process of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) shows that the technology is far from ready, Greenpeace has claimed this week. The method, which involves disposing of carbon dioxide under ground or under the sea, has been heralded in some quarters as a quick fix for emissions reduction.

The report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) notes that large scale use of the technology is unlikely to be employed before the second half of the century.

"This report confirms what we already suspected. There are still far too many questions about environmental risk, safety and costs for CCS to be deployed on a scale that would make it economically viable," said Greenpeace Germany Climate and Energy Campaigner Gabriela von Goerne. "It will simply not be ready in time to provide us with the huge near term emissions cuts that we need in order to avoid catastrophic climate change."

"CCS might be an option in the future when all the questions have been answered and problems ironed out but there is an urgent need for immediate action. That action should be the massive and widespread deployment of available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies combined with energy conservation," she added.