Can Carbon Capture Fix the Climate Crisis? Oil Companies Hope So.

"An Open Sewer" that's how Former Vice President Al Gore, at the recent World Economic Forum in Davos said that we're treating the atmosphere given the amount of CO2 we're dumping in it. But what if we could take back the Carbon from the atmosphere and store it or, even better, remove it completely? Could that fix the Climate Crisis and get us to Net Zero? That's the hope of Carbon Capture and Storage and Carbon Dioxide Removal Companies and, perhaps unsurprisingly, Oil Companies. So we thought it was time to find out whether CCS and CDR is an effective solution, or an excuse to continue burning fossil fuels or even, a necessary sidekick to renewable energy. Join Helen as she investigates this contentious topic.

00:00 Too Much Carbon!
00:53 Is Collecting Carbon an Option?
01:25 Carbon Capture vs Removal
03:38 Carbon Capture and Storage
04:29 How do we Capture Carbon?
05:39 Where does the Carbon Go?
06:33 Is it Worth It?
07:07 The Contentious Bit
07:52 The Even More Contentious Bit
09:10 Necessary Anyway?
10:10 Carbon Dioxide Removal
12:23 How Effective Is It Really?! Introducing the Time Machine!
14:45 Where Does this Leave Us?

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[idrisb]

As someone currently doing research in climate change mitigation, I found this concise yet quite accurate, which is seldom the case when a YouTube channel decides to make a 15-minute video about some complex scientific subject. Well done!

[patreekotime]

I feel like mostly its a boondoggle. A bridge to nowhere that makes these companies bookoos of money while doing nothing except raising the cost of petrochemical products.

We already have a good example of how good stewards energy companies are: coal fly ash slurry ponds. These are used to make coal into "clean coal". Some of the nastiest particulates are captured and stored in giant settling ponds, presumably to eventually be buried. This is a common strategy used by many industries for dealing with byproducts. But the problem with settling ponds is that they concentrate toxic waste, which in the case of coal includes radioactive elements. And these are just earthen damns which can leak, or more disasterously, can be ruptuered and the waste can flood downhill. There are several cases in recent years of highly toxic coal fly ash slurry ponds rupturing in Tenneessee and North Carolina. These have in some cases washed out entire towns (it is unclear if the people were allowed to move back or what the long term impacts were) and at least once a slurry pond located directly beside a river used as a city water source burst contaminating the entire water supply. That wasnt the 1970s, that was 2008. I DO NOT trust that these same companies will suddenly know how to securely store carbon or be willing to put the money in to do it properly when they havnt even been safely storing literal radioactive waste.

Also, how are they going to get the carbon to these deep wells with solid bedrock? Transport it by bunker-fuel powered container-ships? Seems more likely they will just toss it down the nearest leaky fracking well and call it a day.

[TadeuszCantwell]

One of the aspects of growing plants to store carbon is the depleted sea grass meadows around Europe. This would have the benefit of boosting aquatic life as well.

[CEUOTC]

When it comes to Fully Charged Show l am always in awe of the content and level of detail, l just wish l could press the like button more than once! Love it all, keep telling the truth!

[isaiahwp]

Wow, this isn't the type of content I would expect from Fully Charged. Keep it up. I love taking a closer look at the actual energy sources and alternative green products.

[MartynDews]

Excellent episode. Well delivered. Easy to understand. Keep these coming.

[ndrdst]

Also ask yourself: is plastic "recycling" an excuse to produce more unnecessary plastic packaging? (95% of western plastic goes into landfills, often in Asia and Africa, or gets burned)
All CC does is give an excuse to blow more CO2 into the air instead of reducing it at the source, just like bottles and bags made from recycled plastic are an excuse to sell more plastic wrapped produce and ever smaller shampoo bottles instead of reducing plastic packaging to begin with.

[mattbentley]

Great episode. Lots of facts to support the information. More episodes like this, please. Many thanks

[GreatCreative]

I realize the benefits of newly planted trees is minimal in the overall capture equation, but more trees help in so many other ways. And who doesn't love all that comes with trees - more stable soil, biodiversity, cooling shade, and a more beautiful environment.

[adamlytle]

Folks here should check out the most recent Climate Town video about coal, which touches on the utter and complete failure of "Clean coal", which was coal-fired power plant with carbon capture attached.

[maxnewberryhtc]

Great video! The time machine analagy was very informative 👌

[uncleskipsprairiejustice]

Actually, in the 1980s, sulfur capture tech and low sulfur fuel reduced acid rain (resulting from SOx air pollution) measurably and probably saved a few lakes and rivers in the North American eastern seaboard. This was done in large part with pollution credits.

[bobvorwald]

The time machine analogy was an excellent visual. Thank You

[Jeddin]

Yes. And so is hydrogen. Green hydrogen is a smoke screen to produce grey hydrogen.

[rogerwilliams]

Brilliant show - this should be compulsory viewing for all politicians and poluters alike! Wouldn't it be great if main-stream media were producing this quality of work?!

[stanislavjaracz]

Thank you for another great episode. Your conclusion is in complete sync with my rational. As a chemist: one unit of CO2 contains 27% carbon, the rest is oxygen. There is nowhere enough space under ground to take so much added mass. The carbon must stay underground, never be burnt. CCS = Oxygen Sequestration

[daveprice]

Every politician from house of lords, MPs to District and Parish councillors should be sent a link to this episode on YouTube. Then make it a requirement by law for evry CEO and senior manger of a volume consumer or producer of fossil fuels to watch this along with an audience.of.primary school.children. Then take answers.on why we.are.destroying our planet . Probably the most cncise explanation on Carbon Capture.i have heard. Bloody brilliant please.keep it up

[lgrkbyu]

Enjoyed this episode very informative and well-presented, it would be good to include in the descriptor the research links used. The time machine graphics were really good at putting things in perspective, well done.

[tuqe]

I would like Fully Charged to more address the fact that every kilowatt of energy used to drag a 5 seater electric car they promote (obviously better than petrol) is still a horrendous waste of energy compared to public transit. Not to mention the disastrous effects on the way we built our cities, fine particle pollution from tyres, excess road deaths and chronic underinvestment from govt's who see a Tesla the same way they see `blue` hydrogen

[Scarbir]

This makes me sad but it’s so, so good to know. Thank you so much!