TECHNOLOGY
CLIMATE CHANGE IS an inherently emotive issue — inspiring action in some and denial in others . But regardless of where the public stands , over 150 governments worldwide have formally adopted carbon reduction targets in an effort to mitigate the environmental damage caused by the combustion of fossil fuels . The UK has pledged to reduce emissions by at least 80 percent of what levels were in 1990 by the year 2050 . And while solar panels and wind turbines may enjoy a positive public perception , emissions targets simply cannot be reached using renewables alone . Carbon capture and storage ( CCS ) has been posited as a vital technology in ensuring that the UK ’ s carbon budgets are met , but with the government cancelling a £ 1 billion funding competition last year , many CCS proponents have been left wondering how to proceed . While the idea of capturing CO2 from flue gases , power stations and industrial processes and storing it deep underground might sound hazardous , Andrew Green , CCS Programme Manager at the Energy Technologies Institute ( ETI ), insists that the associated risks are financial rather than environmental .
“ Don ’ t imagine CCS as though you ’ ve got a big bomb of CO2 under there that might go off . The carbon
18 July 2016