CO₂ - a solution in sight?

Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere are higher today than they have been at any time in the past 150,000 years. With strong evidence linking CO₂ emissions to global warming and climate change, chemists are looking for ways to capture this greenhouse gas, and store it or use it.

Since the start of the industrial revolution, around 200 years ago, scientists estimate there has been a 30 per cent increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the atmosphere, and with Man's unquenchable thirst for energy - in the form of heat, electricity and transport fuel - this figure is set to rise (see Box for UK 2005 CO₂ data).  

In computer-based models, rising concentrations of greenhouse gases point to an increase in the average temperature of the Earth. Such temperature rises, most scientists now agree, contribute to change in weather, sea levels, and land use. Melting ice caps, reduced crop yields, droughts and flooding, forest fires and coral bleaching are commonly cited consequences of global warming. The UK Government acknowledges this concern and has recently set a UK carbon reduction goal of 60 per cent by 2050. The development of existing carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology on a large-scale in energy- and cost-effective ways by chemical scientists and engineers is expected to play a major part in meeting this target.