Underground CO2 solution
Global warming presents an ominous future for mankind, one that the EU has been trying to pre-empt through different solutions. One of these has been carbon capture and storage (CCS), which involves collecting CO2 emissions and storing them underground. In this vein, the EU-funded project 'International co-operation actions on CO2 capture and storage' (INCA-CO2) aimed to realise this vision and encourage moves to improve related infrastructure. One of the project's most important objectives was to support the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum (CSLF), an international initiative, to develop affordable technologies for CCS. It also aimed to build relationships with global projects in the CCS field and identify opportunities for cooperation. To achieve this, the project studied all new data on CCS to form a complete picture of the technology, identify international activity and encourage policymaking. As part of its mandate, the project studied the entire chain in this process, from capture and transport to long-term storage. It then published eight e-newsletters related to CCS in non-European CSLF countries, furthering exchanges with Europe. Global efforts included a visit to China, bringing one of the world's largest CO2 producers into the fold. Efforts in this direction, particularly in support of the CSLF, also included stakeholder exchanges in Europe and the organisation of a workshop on 'overcoming barriers to the CCS deployment'. Improvements to the existing CSLF Technology Roadmap also took place, in addition to a gap analysis and inventory of CCS activities in CSLF countries. The project is set to bring us closer to perfecting an important solution for dealing with CO2 and mitigating the effects of climate change.
