WHY CARBON CAPTURE & STORAGE (CCS)?

“Current trends in energy supply 
and use are patently unsustainable 
- economically, environmentally and socially. Without decisive action, energy-related emissions of CO2 will more than double by 2050 and increased oil demand will heighten concerns over the security of supplies.” 
- Nobuo Tanaka (IEA)
In 1992, the inter-national community came together in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and agreed that action was needed to address the unsustainable trends in global emissions and energy use.  Action to that effect remains a priority nearly two decades later, as was pointed out by Nobuo Tanaka of the IEA in the Technology Roadmap for Carbon Capture and Storage published November 2009.

Other crises have emerged, which have diverted much of the global community’s focus away from this growing energy problem. The year 2011 alone witnessed a nuclear accident on the scale of Chernobyl in Japan, revolutions across the Arab World, draughts and other natural disasters throughout the US, China, and Africa alike on a scale not witnessed since such events
have been recorded, spiraling sovereign debt problems in many developed countries, unprecedented levels of instability in the global stock market, and persistently high international unemployment levels. As such, nearly twenty years after they committed themselves to action, global leaders remain unable to reach a consensus as to what form this action should take – and more importantly who must take it.
Nevertheless, the number of international problems stemming from unbridled energy consumption is mounting. Industrial emissions growth – and the steady rise in the average global temperature that have accompanied this influx of manmade greenhouse gases into the atmosphere – is often cited as driving many of the climate changes witnessed across the planet today. 
Moreover, there are other issues linked to the current energy situation that are not as widely discussed. For example, while the concentration of the CO2 from global emissions that remains in the atmosphere has observably increased since the epoch of the industrial revolution, according to the National Resource Defence Council in the US, 25 percent of those emissions have been absorbed by the ocean.

When CO2 is absorbed by water, the resulting compound is carbonic acid. As a consequence, the levels of dissolved CO2 in the ocean have risen and led to an acidity increase of 30 percent since the pre-industrial era.
“We can and must change our current path,
but this will take an energy revolution and low-carbon energy technologies will have a crucial role to play. Energy efficiency, many types of renewable energy, carbon capture and storage (CCS), nuclear power and new transport technologies will all require widespread deployment if we are to reach our greenhouse gas emission goals. Every major country and sector of the economy must be involved. The task is also urgent if we are to make sure that investment decisions taken now do not saddle us with suboptimal technologies in the long-term.” 
- Nobuo Tanaka
One additional issue, which is related to current energy trends, is rapid resource depletion; an issue that is forcing a growing number of policymakers across the planet to address pointed questions regarding energy independence and global resource longevity. As more members of the global community get access to electricity, food, and water – the world’s traditional reserves of these resources are diminishing at an accelerated rate. 
While the economic downturn has dampened the acceleration of global demands for energy, a recovery will likely imply a resumption of the unsustainable trend. 
Thus, the rise of these other crises has not dampened the need for change and it is important that stakeholders of the global energy supply chain recognize this and act. Geogreen was founded in 2007 for the same reasons that are highlighted here by three key players in the energy sector: Géostock, IFP Energies Nouvelles, and BRGM. Their shared goal was to construct an engineering company that would grow to become a global leader in the development and deployment of one low-carbon technology in particular: carbon capture and storage (CCS).