hesgenEminent environmental engineer Sir Simon Jenkins writes...
"Sunak’s plan for carbon capture is good news: he shouldn’t muddy it with party politics"
Simon Brooke@hesgen No, it really isn't good news. #CarbonCapture #CCS will never be more than #Greenwashing – a modern equivalent of the perpetual motion device. We don't have time (or resources) for these distractions.
But Sir Simon hath spoke!
@hesgen If anyone knows that it isn't always wise to do what Simon Says, it's me.
@hesgen And, oh, Jings! To criticise this in more detail, Simon says (quoting an 'expert', Stuart Haszeldine):
"Existing #CCS currently reduces CO2 emissions by 0.1%. To meet net zero, it needs to rise to 10%."
Can anyone spot the order of magnitude error in that?
@simon_brooke Two orders of magnitude.
@hesgen I'm prepared to be wrong, but please show your working.
@simon_brooke 10/0.1=100.
@simon_brooke A one hundred-fold increase in engineered carbon capture is required to meet the net zero target. That's a two orders of magnitude increase.
@simon_brooke There are other carbon sinks in the equation. For CCS, it needs to rise to 10%.
@hesgen What are these other sinks, and how do they scale with emissions?
@simon_brooke If you're interest in a popular exposition of natural carbon sources and sinks, albeit on geological timescales, see the first episode of Chris Packham's Earth series on BBC TV.