UC Santa Barbara

Carbon dioxide (CO(2)) capture and geologic storage has been postulated as one possible method to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of CO(2) by injecting and storing it in deep geologic formations. This issue paper analyzes the viability of capture and geologic storage of becoming an effective method to aid in stabilizing the atmospheric concentration of CO(2). It is herein shown that such viability is contingent on overcoming major obstacles that are hydrogeological, technical, and economic in nature. Our analysis indicates that capture and geologic storage is likely to have negligible success in reducing the atmospheric buildup of CO(2) in the coming decades. The magnitude of the anthropogenic emissions of CO(2) indicates that a transition of the world economy away from reliance on fossil fuels might be the only path to stabilize its atmospheric concentration.