Understanding Carbon Capture
How does carbon capture work? And is it necessary to avoid climate change?
The concept behind carbon capture is simple — there is too much carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, so if we remove the CO2 from the air, we can stop global warming! While this is intuitive, it raises some obvious questions: how do you remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? And is this necessary?
To answer the second question first: carbon capture is essential. According to the IPCC, carbon capture will need to be part of any climate solution that keeps warming under 1.5 °C. Even the most optimistic projections predict that expected carbon dioxide emissions will lead to over 2 °C of warming. Some carbon capture will be necessary to stop climate change.
Now the more difficult question — how do we remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere? More specifically, how do we sequester it in a manner that is scalable, cheap, and safe? Fortunately, there are several methods, each with advantages and limitations. Understanding these technologies also provides insight into broader challenges related to climate science and more profound ethical questions about how we should structure society.
