Some of the world’s leading experts on carbon capture and storage are in Calgary sharing their knowledge with each other and the oil and gas industry.
Jim Carter, the chair for the Alberta Carbon Capture & Storage Development Council opened up the conference Tuesday.
“Man-made CO2 is causing global warming,” he told a roomful of industry insiders, adding, “that’s certainly the belief in the world today.”
Ambitious targets to reduce green house gas emissions are putting pressure on both the oil and coal industries, two of the country’s largest emitters.
While the carbon dioxide captured and stored during oil recovery can actually enhance the process, it has no benefit for coal-fired plants.
The costly technology is still in the research and development phase despite being decades old.
“What we’ve heard from the general public is they want these things to happen,” said Carter, however he warned the public will pay.
Scientists widely accept carbon capture as a way to turn climate change around, but many agree countries like China and India will have to be on board for the method to be effective.
