Could a global waste disposal service for carbon stall climate change?
In short: We are currently capturing about 50 million tons of carbon dioxide annually—roughly what a small country like Greece emits. But to move the needle on climate change, we need to scale this technology from isolated projects into a massive, interconnected global infrastructure.
Bas Sudmeijer proposes a shift toward "CO2 networks," which are international partnerships between cities. These networks would allow different regions to share the high costs and specific geological resources required to trap emissions deep underground. Technically, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) functions as a "closed loop." Carbon is extracted from the Earth as fossil fuels, burned for energy, and then captured at stationary sources like power plants using chemical liquids.
The gas is compressed into a liquid-like state and transported via pipelines to geological formations more than 2,500 feet underground, such as depleted oil reservoirs or saline aquifers. Success depends on precise geology: scientists look for porous rock that allows seepage but is covered by a solid "cap rock" to prevent the gas from escaping back to the surface.
While the oil and gas industry already manages millions of miles of pipelines and billions of gallons of wastewater, CCS faces a unique economic hurdle. Adding capture technology can nearly double the cost of electricity, meaning the technology currently requires government intervention to be viable. Beyond storage, "utilization" offers a potential economic engine. While most captured carbon must be stored due to the sheer volume of emissions, some can be sold to create markets. This includes enhanced oil recovery, greenhouse production, or manufacturing high-tech materials like graphene, carbon fibers, and even household products like baking soda and antifreeze.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Bas Sudmeijer: How carbon capture networks could help curb climate change
- Also: Carbon Capture
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