Carbon Capture & Storage: A dangerous distraction

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a process designed to collect carbon dioxide generated by high-emission activities, such as coal or gas power production or plastics manufacturing, and transport it for industrial use or underground storage. While CCS has gained traction as a possible climate solution, there are concerns about its effectiveness and long-term impacts.

Adrienne Blatchford and Panganga Pungowiyi of the Indigenous Environmental Network will explain how CCS continues a legacy of extractive harm in Alaska and beyond. Marlee Goska, attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity, will explain the legal, environmental, and policy challenges of CCS implementation and how communities are organizing to stop it.

CCS does not remove existing CO₂ from the atmosphere; it attempts to prevent some carbon emissions from entering the atmosphere. Infrastructure such as pipelines and underground storage sites creates significant health and environmental risks, and in some cases, captured carbon is used to fuel additional carbon extraction. These threats are disproportionately imposed on communities already overburdened by industrial pollution, perpetuating environmental injustice.