• High global dependency 80% global energy consumption
• 10 billion tonnes CO2 released annually.
• Transfer from geological stores to atmosphere and oceans.
• CO2 atmospheric levels highest in 800,000 years, risen above 400ppm.
Although anthropogenic carbon emissions comprise less than 10% of natural influx from
biosphere and oceans to atmosphere, they impact significantly on the size of the
atmosphere, ocean and biosphere carbon stores.
Future alternatives:
CCS = Carbon Capture and Storage
Can trap 90% of carbon dioxide emissions from large industry which is transported as a
liquid and stored below the earth’s surface (imitates natural storage).
Disadvantages – large energy requirements and necessity for storage reservoirs (specific
geological conditions). Criticisms of commercial unviability and UN report predicts no
significant role of the technology for decades (solutions for climate change required rapidly).
BECCS = Bioenergy with Carbon Capture
CCS with renewable biomass is one carbon abatement technology that can be ‘carbonnegative’ – taking carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere.
ZEP = Zero Emissions Platform
The EU’s authority on CCS for fossil fuel power plants
• BECCS pilot plant at Drax biomass power station captures a tonne of CO2 per day. UK
Clean Growth Strategy identifies BECCS as a greenhouse gas removal technique that
could help achieve long term decarbonisation.
• Acorn Project at St Fergus Gas Terminal, NE Scottish coast, utilises local access to
offshore gas pipelines and geology for storage to decrease high capital costs.