“Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?” Article Reflection No. 93 (4/3/2024)

Article: “Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?”

Reflection:

In the article “Can We Engineer Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis?,” journalist David Gelles discusses the advancing technology behind carbon capture storage (CCS), a method that catches carbon then stores it underground instead of releasing it into the atmosphere. Especially with the prediction that the Earth will warm by four degrees Celsius within this century, there is more pressure to mitigate this issue, according to the article. A controversial debate surrounding these technologies discusses whether or not they promote feasibility and sustainability in the long term, according to Gelles. The article states that there are different arguments and reasonings behind this debate: CCS practices may undervalue fossil fuel phase-outs in the public eye; on the other hand, the technology does aim to reduce carbon emissions in the atmosphere. In fact, one of these plants is managed by the oil company Occidental, which plans to use the captured carbon to drill oil, Gelles writes. The article also suggests that the high costs of CCS may hinder larger-scale implementation. 

If CCS is used as a temporary method only to slow down the carbon emissions that go into the atmosphere, I understand that. But if it is approached as a whole alternative for reducing fossil fuel emissions, I’m curious about how effective it would be.