Comment Log Display

I attended the afternoon session of the 2022 Scoping Plan Update,
Engineered Carbon Removal Technical Workshop.  California needs to
support continued research into carbon removal, BUT only as a
complement to the larger need to cut carbon emissions. Enabling
technology which extends indefinitely the life of existing
facilities that extract, produce, or utilize fossil fuels is not a
step which California, or the planet, has time for, given the
direness of the climate crisis. 

Aside from prolonging the life of the fossil fuel infrastructure,
carbon removal maintains a narrow focus on CO2, leaving other heat
trapping gases, notably methane, and other climate pollutants
unaddressed. This omission is particularly noxious to poor
communities which have long contended with the health impacts of
greater levels of air pollution. To gain the support of the
residents of these communities for the many future mitigations
required to deal with the climate crisis, they must see tangible
benefits in their environment. Removing CO2 alone does not meet
this need.

As CARB continues support for carbon removal, it should focus on
technology for drawing down the existing high level of accumulated
CO2 in the atmosphere and in redoubling its efforts to transition
California from fossil fuels to clean and renewable energy.

Thank you for your attention to these very challenging matters.