Carbon Capture

"UK 'should pursue' carbon capture"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/4695478.stm

What? This is just another half baked idea that will reduce the efficiency of our power stations by up to 25% and one where we have to build the infrastructure to pipe the captured carbon dioxide to an old unused oil well where we can store it? Surely this is a vicious circle with us requiring access to old oil wells, the very oil wells that we have been trying to break our dependency on. In addition, what happens when we have filled them all up? This really is a case of looking after our own interests and leaving the problem for our descendents to sort out.

How about an alternative approach? Why not grow trees, cut them down and store them in mines, oil wells or landfill? We could cap the landfill and collect the methane as the trees rot and use this to power an internal combustion engine to generate electricity. We can understand and develop the ideas to make this a sustainable process. Then 20 years down the line if we decide this is not such a great idea we can use the methods and ideas we have developed and rather than bury the material we can turn it into ethanol or burn it directly. This way we do not leave a legacy, other than a lot of buried wood and that is nothing more than the natural process.

There are a number of other governments that are thinking long term:

"Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/climatechange/story/0,,1704955,00.html