The world has far fewer places to securely store carbon dioxide deep underground than previously thought, steeply lowering its potential to help stem global warming, according to a new study that challenges long-held industry claims about the practice.

The study, published Wednesday in the journal Nature, found that global carbon storage capacity was 10 times less than previous estimates after ruling out geological formations where the gas could leak, trigger earthquakes or contaminate groundwater, or had other limitations. That means carbon capture and storage would only have the potential to reduce human-caused warming by 0.7 degrees Celsius (1.26 Fahrenheit)—far less than previous estimates of around 5-6 degrees Celsius (9-10.8 degrees Fahrenheit), researchers said.

“Carbon storage is often portrayed as a way out of the climate crisis. Our findings make clear that it is a limited tool” and reaffirms “the extreme importance of reducing emissions as fast and as soon as possible,” said lead author Matthew Gidden, a research professor at the University Maryland’s Center for Global Sustainability. The study was led by the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, where Gidden also is a senior researcher in the energy, climate and environment program.

  • hansolo@lemmy.todayEnglish
    15·
    2 days ago

    So all that billions of tons of carbon we dig up from the ground, sequestered for 300 million years, doesn’t just make it’s way back there?

    Well fuck!

    • IsoKiero@sopuli.xyzEnglish
      2·
      4 hours ago

      doesn’t just make it’s way back there?

      Well, it kind of does, just like it did before. It’s just way too slow for us hairless monkeys to see it happening, we’re all gone well before that happens. Eventually some other lizard will crawl up to the land from the sea and maybe it’s a bit wiser than us.