Capturing greenhouse gases Scientists search for ways to collect
carbon dioxide at the source When it comes to fighting climate
change, most people think about shrinking their carbon
footprints by reducing the amount of the heat-trapping gas, or
carbon dioxide, generated when they flip on a light switch,
drive a car, or put on the air conditioner. But scientists and
policy makers have long been intrigued by a larger-scale
approach: the idea of removing carbon dioxide - separating out
the greenhouse gas from the exhaust coming out of the flues of
coal plants or other sources, and keeping it out of the
atmosphere. The Department of Energy has sunk millions of
dollars into more than a dozen projects aimed at the problem,
through a program that funds risky but potentially
transformative research. But earlier this month, an ambitious
project to build a system that could capture 90 percent of the
carbon dioxide from a coal-fueled plant in West Virginia was put
on hold by one of the largest electric utilities in the