Public opinion

Public opinion on CCS varies a lot. Public opinion polls show that some people are positive, while others are doubtful, but most people have never even heard of CCS. Below you will find an overview of how the public regard CCS and why it is important to establish campaigns to inform the public about CCS.

A large number of respondents indicate that they are sceptical to CCS when asked if they think CCS is a good strategy to combat global warming. More often that not, the reason is that they have never heard of CCS, and people tend to be sceptical to new concepts that they have never even heard of.

When people receive objective and relevant information about CCS their attitude changes and they become much more positive.

However, people often raise critical questions even when they get information about CCS. Most of them are related to the safety of CO₂ storage. There are of course some important issues to be resolved when it comes to ensuring safe storage, but the concerns raised by the public are often based on myths and misunderstandings. Some people fear that stored CO₂ can explode or start burning, which is in fact physically impossible.

But the most important concern is often the NIMBY-syndrome, that is, the "not in my backyard" attitude. People might say that CCS is a good idea, but only if the CO2 is not stored right below their feet.

Another concern put forward by the public is that CCS could be just another way for scientists to get funding for their research.

It is very important to inform the public about CCS.

First of all, there is no reason to be sceptical or afraid of CCS. Many people are afraid of the consequences of global warming and their concern is often based on lack of information about how to deal with this threat. Once they have received information about renewable energy, energy efficiency, CCS or other ways to combat global warming they become more optimistic about the future and more positive to CCS.

Second, CCS requires safe storage locations throughout the world, but if the NIMBY syndrome is not addressed CCS can result in public protests against CO₂ storage, which in turn can stop deployment of good CCS projects. Appropriate safe storage sites are found all over the world and the best way to stop the NIMBY syndrome is to start public information campaigns to ensure objective and relevant information on CCS is easily available to everyone.

Third, CCS demonstration plants require public support and government funding. Full scale fossil fuelled power plants with CO₂ capture and storage have not been built yet, because the technology is expensive and several technical challenges remain to be solved. The best way to reduce costs and risks is to build large-scale demonstration plants for CO₂ capture and storage. The experience and knowledge gained from such demonstration plants will probably reduce costs and risks to the extent that companies will start building fossil fuel power plants and factories with CCS. Construction of demonstration plants will require public funding because it is too expensive for companies to build them without any financial support. But our politicians will not provide any government funding for CCS unless their constituents are positive to it. And as mentioned above, evidence shows that the public is often sceptical to CCS because they lack information about what it is all about.

Civil society is not the only sector that lacks information about CCS. Decisionmakers in governmental bodies and companies often lack knowledge and information about CCS as well. Information campaigns that provide information on CCS should therefore not only be directed at the public in general, but also targeted at industry and government.

The best way to disseminate information to the public is for industry, governmental bodies and environmental non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to work together.

Companies and governmental bodies are often mistrusted by the public. Therefore, inclusion of NGOs is of critical importance in order to effectively run an information campaign.

Information campaigns can be performed in a number of ways. You are interacting with one as you read. This web portal, the Bellona CCS Web, is one way to provide information to the public.

Other methods of communication include: TV programs, documentaries, YouTube videos, brochures distributed at schools and universities and inclusion of experts and NGOs in the media (TV, radio, newspapers and the internet).

• Views on CCS
• Politicians opinion on CCS
• NGOs opinion on CCS

• The ACCSEPT project
  The ACCSEPT project is a comprehensive research project on acceptance of CCS. The project was completed in 2007, and all results are available at the ACCSEPT home page