Can Carbon Capture become Respectable?

Last summer, I visited America’s first commercial carbon capture plant in Tracy, California. Heirloom Carbon use ground up limestone to capture 1,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year. It’s a trial run for a plant planned for Louisiana that could ultimately capture 300,000 tons each year when fully developed.

The strangest thing about a technology designed to turn back climate change is that most environmentalists hate it. Carbon capture, like carbon offsets, suffers from a trust problem. Many environmental groups would rather the world focus on emissions reduction.

Unfortunately, that’s not good math. Even with emission reductions that far outstrip current efforts, we will still need to capture carbon. Lots of it.

I wrote this story to get to the bottom of carbon capture’s trust problem, speaking to several people in the industry as well as to watchdog groups monitoring it. This feels to me like one of the most important sleeper topics in climate change.

I think the trust problem can be overcome. And let’s hope it can…..because we need these technologies badly.

Enjoy the story published today by Noema Magazine.

“‘Climate Delusion’ Or Vital Solution? Carbon Capture’s Uphill Battle“