Carbon Capture and Sequestration: The Challenges Facing Rapid Adoption and the Implications for California
There is growing concern among climate scientists and policy scholars that the global community must reduce greenhouse gas emissions significantly and quickly to prevent catastrophic climate change. Recognizing that fossil fuels now meet 85% of global energy and that global energy demand is increasing, carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) will be an important option to limit carbon dioxide emissions. Investment in CCS technologies is growing rapidly; however, challenges facing this technology include developing policy to create incentives for deployment, the creation of a regulatory framework, securing funding for large-scale projects to help refine the technology, and managing the unresolved environmental and public safety risks.
This faculty symposium will bring together UC Berkeley faculty and invited scholars and practitioners who have begun to look at the scientific, technological and policy issues associated with CCS, and to begin a dialog on the debate over the costs and benefits to California of this crucial bridging technology as California, through the passage of AB32, leads the nation toward a carbon-free economy.