There's been a lot of coverage and controversy around a new technology called CCS recently. It's being presented as a possible solution for reducing carbon emissions from power stations and mines. But what is CCS?
In its simplest terms, CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage) is the process of removing carbon dioxide from large point sources of pollution such as fossil fuel power stations. This carbon dioxide can then be stored away from the atmosphere, preventing it from contributing to climate change. The first pilot scale CCS power station was to go into operation late 2008, as such it is an as-yet unproven technology. If CCS is proven to work, it can be applied to new and retrofitted coal power stations as well as gas power generation, natural gas production and other large CO2 sources including chemical, steel and cement industries.
WWF supports carbon capture and storage as part of its approach to avoiding dangerous climate change. WWF's Climate Solutions report found we must rapidly and concurrently deploy a range of renewable and low emissions technology; carbon capture and storage should form a part of this strategy. The failure or delay of one or two of the zero/low emission technologies dramatically reduces the chances of beating the climate and energy challenge.
WWF is calling for a national co-ordinated approach via a taskforce to accelerate CCS demonstration, to determine whether CCS is practical for broad application, so if it works it contributes to greenhouse gas reduction sooner, and if it doesn't work we know sooner so we can move on.
The reality is that if CCS (or other renewable technologies) is ruled out or delayed we face the the reality of accepting a 2.5 - 3 degrees rise. If we reach a three-degree rise in temperature, 35 per cent of species will become extinct. WWF has a responsibility to try to prevent this from happening, which means supporting a range of climate change solutions that maximise our chances.
In addition to pursuing acceleration of CCS technology, WWF will continue to push for greater investment and regulation for energy efficiency, renewable energy, climate adaptation and a halt to land clearing.
