The fight to cut the world's greenhouse gas output may be relying too much on unproven technology for capturing carbon from coal-fired power stations, experts have warned.
Sir Nicholas Stern, the former World Bank economist, highlighted carbon capture and storage technology in his influential review of the economics of climate change. Speaking at the Royal Society of Arts in London yesterday, he said carbon capture and storage was likely to be a key component of any strategy for cutting greenhouse gases.
The European Commission, setting out its energy and climate-change plans last week, also emphasised carbon capture and storage as a method of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The technology requires power stations, usually coal-fired plants, to capture the gas as it is produced and then compress and bury it in underground storage sites.
But David Porter, chief executive of the UK's Association of Electricity Producers, warned that the European Union might be over-optimistic: "They did seem to set a lot of store by carbon capture and storage. We are keen to see it exploited but it looks as though they expect it to become viable more quickly than is likely to be the case. It's not yet proven."
Jon Gibbins, lecturer in energy technology at Imperial College, said: "You're pushing money down intoa hole in the ground [byburying carbon dioxide]. That's quite expensive."
He warned that governments needed a greater sense of urgency in replacing existing power stations with plants that captured carbon.
Other scientists have expressed reservations about the technology, which is still in its early stages and may prove to be very expensive.
Charlie Kronick, senior policy adviser at Greenpeace, also warned that the technology was at least 10 years off, while action could be taken now to reduce emissions, for instance through energy efficiency and renewables.
Carbon capture and storage is seen as one of the most important ways of reducing emissions, because the world is likely to continue to use large quantities of fossil fuels for decades, even as more electricity is generated from nuclear fission and renewable sources such as the wind and sun.
The world's consumption of coal is rising, as China and India build hundreds of new power plants to cope with soaring energy demand. However, some developed countries are also increasing their reliance on coal - only recently regarded as an outdated and dirty fuel with a limited future - as concerns rise over energy security and the doubtful supply of oil.
For instance, in the UK, the Department of Trade and Industry said earlier this month that electricity companies used 23 per cent more coal and 12 per cent less gas, which releases lower levels of CO2, in the third quarter of 2006 than they did in the same period a year ago.
