S1E125: South-East Asia’s carbon storage dreams: Visionary climate solution or folly?

South-East Asia has big plans to become a regional carbon storage
hub. Can it work or are the risks too great?


Synopsis: Every first and third Sunday of the month, The Straits
Times analyses the beat of the changing environment, from
biodiversity conservation to climate change.


For years now, we’ve heard a lot about carbon capture and storage
as one possible solution to climate change. CCS, as it is known,
involves capturing carbon dioxide emissions from polluting
operations, such as power plants, refineries and steel and cement
production and injecting the CO2 deep underground. 


And not just anywhere. It has to be the right type of geological
formation to ensure the CO2 doesn’t escape. 


But CCS hasn’t taken off quite as well as many, especially those
in the fossil fuel industry, had hoped for. There have been
several very costly failures.


And yet there are plans to greatly scale up CCS, including the
creation of regional CCS hubs. One of these is in South-east
Asia, using depleted oil and gas wells. 


This would lock away CO2 captured from industries in the region,
or, CO2 brought in by tanker ships from major polluting nations
such as Japan. So, is this a good idea? Can it make a difference
in fighting climate change? Or, is it just storing up trouble for
the future?


To tell ST's climate change editor David Fogarty more about this
is energy sector expert Grant Hauber, advisor for Asia for the
Institute for Energy Economics & Financial Analysis, a
US-based think tank. 


Highlights of conversation (click/tap above):


2:02 What is carbon capture and storage?


4:33 What are CCS hubs and can you explain the regional plans to
create them?


8:43 CCS has been around for several decades. What have we
learned?


17:10 And what about liability? Who’s responsible for any leaks?


21:01 CCS remains expensive. Will a high carbon price per tonne
drive investment?


25:18 And what about alternative methods to remove CO2?


Produced by: David Fogarty (dfogarty@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis
& Hadyu Rahim 


Edited by: Hadyu Rahim


Follow Green Pulse Podcast here and rate us:


Channel: https://str.sg/JWaf


Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWaY


Spotify: https://str.sg/JWag


Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts


Feedback to: podcast@sph.com.sg


Follow David Fogarty on X: https://str.sg/JLM6


Read his articles: https://str.sg/JLMu


---


Discover more ST podcast channels:


All-in-one ST Podcasts channel: https://str.sg/wvz7


The Usual Place: https://str.sg/wEr7u


In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt


COE Watch: https://str.sg/iTtE


Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7


Health Check: https://str.sg/JWaN


Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf


Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m


Hard Tackle: https://str.sg/JWRE


#PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad


Music Lab: https://str.sg/w9TX


---


ST Podcast website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts


ST Podcasts YouTube: https://str.sg/4Vwsa


---


Special edition series:


True Crimes Of Asia (6 eps): https://str.sg/i44T


The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia (5
eps): https://str.sg/wuZ2


Invisible Asia (9 eps): https://str.sg/wuZn


Stop Scams (10 eps): https://str.sg/wuZB


Singapore's War On Covid (5 eps): https://str.sg/wuJa


---


Get The Straits Times' app, which has a dedicated podcast player
section:


The App Store: https://str.sg/icyB


Google Play: https://str.sg/icyX


---


#greenpulse


See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.