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At this point, my smell test is "how much does the 'solution' smell of gas money." and if it does, I assume they don't want to do the hard work required cause i
by xracy 2y ago
At this point, my smell test is "how much does the 'solution' smell of gas money." and if it does, I assume they don't want to do the hard work required cause it's not in their interests, and it hasn't been for decades. (ahem Carbon offsets)
In practice it's so much harder to debunk these solutions because we don't have good ways of dealing with bad-faith actors.
The non-dismissive way to view Carbon Capture is this:
Carbon Capture will be relevant when we actually reach zero emissions, and not a minute sooner. Until then, it is at best, creative accounting that does nothing, and at worst actively preventing electrification.
The thought experiment I remember giving me clarity on this is:
Imagine you have a solar plant that is fully dedicated to removing carbon from the atmosphere. 100 times out of 100, you would rather just stop the emissions at the source by making the emitter use the green energy.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJslrTT-Yhc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nJslrTT-Yhc
- snehk 2y ago> when we actually reach zero emissions Where does this mindset come from that this is necessary? There's no data to back this up.
- xracy 2y agoThat what's necessary? Zero emissions? OR that Carbon Capture is necessary when we reach it? Zero emissions seems necessary to stop climate change escalating. Carbon Capture seems necessary when we get to Zero emissions to attempt to reverse course.
- soco 2y agoBut why not having both? When we reach zero emissions having also a battle tested carbon capture solution can only be beneficial, right? It's not like we have a zero sum game. Where I must agree with you that often I see this as greenwashing, oil companies push on with pollution while also gaslighting us with some half-assed capture solution...
- xracy 2y agoI think as long as gas companies have a place to hide in greenwashing, they're going to do it. Maybe carbon capture is a fine thing to invest in, but I can tell you that as long as it's on the table, the other options aren't going to get as much investment as they should.