Canadian industry and federal and provincial governments argue that carbon capture and storage (also known as CCS) is an important tool to achieve their emissions reduction targets – but we are far from understanding the health and safety implications of scaling up this unproven technology .
CCS involves siphoning carbon dioxide (CO2) from the source, then liquefying it, moving it through an underground pipeline, and finally injecting it deep underground forever. Pathways Alliance, which represents six of Canada’s largest oil companies, suggests to direct CO2 from up to twenty oil and gas facilities over a distance of 400 km to a geological reservoir below The Lakeland District of Alberta. This district is home to numerous communities (St. Paul, Cold Lake, Bonnyville), many farms and eight First Nation reserves.
But can we be confident that CCS can deliver safe, permanent carbon sequestration? Let’s take a look at what is known about the environmental, health and safety risks of CO2 capture, transport and storage.
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CO2 is an invisible, odorless gas that normally makes up about 0.04 percent of the air we breathe. CO2 at high concentrations (17 to 30 percent) can suffocate a living being within minutes. Smaller concentrations can cause headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, confusion and hearing and vision disturbances. People with underlying medical conditions are the most vulnerable. The largest CO2 emissions disaster occurred in Cameroon in 1986as a result of a massive natural release from a volcanic lake; it killed about 1,700 people and thousands of animals.
CCS projects and pipelines can fail and cause damage to people and the environment. In one Co2 pipeline rupture near a village in Mississippi in 202045 people had to be hospitalized and more than 200 had to be evacuated. Because it is heavier than air, the CO2 clouds remained low and blocked the combustion engines of the rescuers. Although no one died from the CO2 poisoning, many victims reported long-term respiratory and neurological problems. In the US alone At least 75 other incidents involving the CO2 pipeline have been reported since 2010.
The Pathways Alliance CCS plan provides for the pipeline routes and storage on both private and public land. Storage locations would require close supervision – forever. The technology for CCS storage and monitoring, especially long-term, is not yet mature, and research on risks to human health and safety is limited.
However, the practice of injecting fluids deep underground is a well-established source of induced earthquakes that can cause structural and environmental damage. CO2 in aquifers can leach heavy metals into drinking water; last May, a CCS project in Australia was halted due to this risk.
Injected CO2 can and has seeped to the surface, either through natural faults or through inadequately covered wells, which is common in storage areas. A high school in Wyoming was forced to close for most of the school year due to such a leak.
The industrial process of CCS requires energy, produces more emissions and thus contributes to climate change. Although CCS is presented as a technological solution to limit climate change, it risks becoming a distraction from the urgent need to reduce emissions at source.
CCS allows polluters to continue operating as usual, perpetuating dependence on fossil fuels rather than switching to cleaner alternatives and improving energy efficiency.
Can we be confident that carbon capture and storage can provide safe, permanent carbon sequestration? write Claire Barber and Suzanne Perkins
Despite the risks, the Alberta government and the Alberta Energy Regulator have done just that rejected the request for an environmental impact assessment created by the Athabasca Chipewyan First Nation and by environmental groups.
In an interview at COP 29 said ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods agreed that we need to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions. Canada has committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2050. In Alberta, the oil and gas sector is the largest source of emissions, and the sector is growing. Yes, Mr. Woods, it is imperative that we reduce emissions, but can we count on CCS to do this job safely? If we rely on CCS to address emissions, industries could absorb decades of pollution, delaying the rapid action needed to meet our climate goals, while endangering the health and safety of nearby communities.
The Pathways Alliance CCS project requires a full environmental assessment by the Province of Alberta before commencement.
Suzanne Perkins is a rural and remote psychiatrist now working in the Northwest Territories and living in Canmore, AB. Claire EH Barber, a rheumatologist, epidemiologist and healthcare researcher in Calgary, Alberta. She is a member of the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE), Alberta Chapter.