PNNL takes stand on climate change in Seattle Times
The July 15, 2007, issue of the Seattle Times included a PNNL opinion piece on global climate change by Mike Davis, director for Energy Science and Technology, and Doug Ray, director for Fundamental Science. In Learning to live with fossil fuels, Mike and Doug make the point that, despite the current enthusiasm for alternative energy sources to combat global warming, the world will depend heavily on fossil fuels for the next 50 years.
They advocated a bridge solution: an intense, accelerated worldwide effort to manage the carbon cycle, dramatically reducing greenhouse gases now while alternative sources catch up.
One of the most promising approaches, Mike and Doug argued, is capturing carbon dioxide from fossil fuel power plants and storing it underground. Science and technology are playing an important role in understanding the issues surrounding this approach and scaling up all the components of the technology successfully. PNNL will conduct a carbon sequestration demonstration project in southeastern Washington basalt later this year, as part of a DOE-sponsored multi-state partnership.
This opinion piece marks the launch of a national and global conversation that PNNL is leading on the urgent need for a carbon management bridge, while continuing research to develop alternative energy resources and encourage energy-efficient technology use.
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