The future role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) was a
featured topic at this year’s Society of Environmental
Journalists Conference. WRI’s Sarah Forbes provided an overview
of CCS technologies and how they could be brought to scale to
reduce greenhouse gas emissions from coal. “Coal is the
800-pound gorilla when it comes to the energy revolution,” said
author Jeff Goodell at the SEJ conference’s opening plenary.
Coal provides for half of the U.S. electricity supply, making it
difficult to eliminate coal as power source in the near term.
Yet carbon dioxide emissions—particularly those from coal-fired
power plants–need to come down as soon as possible to protect
ourselves from the worst effects of climate change. Forbes, a
Senior Associate and CCS Specialist at WRI, tackled these issues
on the panel “Carbon Sequestration: Silver Bullet or Black
Hole?” “We don’t have the luxury to rule out the one technology
that applies to coal,” she told the audience. The main obstacle
to CCS is the additional expense comp