InTheNews.co.uk
Breaking News:
Your source for news

Science Story

 20 July 2008 18:21 BST

WWF calls for UK emissions standard

Wednesday, 21 May 2008 08:34
Coal-fired stations need carbon capture and storage, WWF says

Science In Focus 

The UK should introduce an emissions standard to set legal limits on the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) that new and replacement power stations can emit, WWF says.

The conservation organisation says the government should ensure that no new coal-fired stations are built in the UK until carbon capture and storage (CCS) has been proven to work on a large scale and can be installed from the outset.

Its call comes as the government is considering whether to give approval for a new coal-burning power station at Kingsnorth in Kent.

Building of such stations is controversial as they have the potential to help the UK to meet energy demand but there are concerns about the impact of CO2 emissions.

CCS could help as it traps CO2 and transports it underground to geological sinks for storage.

But the WWF is concerned the technology has yet to be demonstrated on a large-scale power plant anywhere in the world.

"Currently, claims of CCS readiness do little more than refer to the need for power plants to leave space on the site for CCS equipment to be retrofitted in the future," said Keith Allott, head of climate change at WWF-UK.

"There's no deadline for conversion to full-scale CCS, let alone any guarantee that this would then be met. Reliance on an as yet unproven technology, however promising it may be, is a risky business - the future of the planet's climate cannot rely upon good intentions."

Mr Allott added that renewables should form the bulk of UK energy sources but said fossil fuels with proven CCS could also play a role.

"Now it is time for us to take responsibility and take the lead in reducing our own carbon emissions and demonstrating the technology and policies at home that will pave the way to a truly sustainable, low-carbon economy," he said.

"Without an emissions standard to stop new unabated coal, we simply won't be able to meet the emissions targets currently proposed by the climate change bill."
End of story


More science news... 

Also In The News 

© 2008 Advertise | Privacy | Terms of Use