title: Regulating the geological sequestration of CO2.
abstract: Governments worldwide should provide incentives for initial large-scale GS projects to help build the knowledge base for a mature, internationally harmonized GS regulatory framework. Health, safety, and environmental risks of these early projects can be managed through modifications of existing regulations in the EU, Australia, Canada, and the U.S. An institutional mechanism, such as the proposed Federal Carbon Sequestration Commission in the U.S., should gather data from these early projects and combine them with factors such as GS industrial organization and climate regime requirements to create an efficient and adaptive regulatory framework suited to large-scale deployment. Mechanisms to structure long-term liability and fund long-term postclosure care must be developed, most likely at the national level, to equitably balance the risks and benefits of this important climate change mitigation technology. We need to do this right. During the initial field experiences, a single major accident, resulting from inadequate regulatory oversight, anywhere in the world, could seriously endanger the future viability of GS. That, in turn, could make it next to impossible to achieve the needed dramatic global reductions in CO2 emissions over the next several decades. We also need to do it quickly. Emissions are going up, the climate is changing, and impacts are growing. The need for safe and effective CO2 capture with deep GS is urgent.
authors.affiliation: University of Minnesota, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: M Granger
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Morgan
authors.forename: Jay
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Apt
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bonner
authors.forename: Christopher
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bunting
authors.forename: Jenny
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gode
authors.forename: R Stuart
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Haszeldine
authors.forename: Carlo C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Jaeger
authors.forename: David W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Keith
authors.forename: Sean T
authors.initials: ST
authors.lastname: Mccoy
authors.forename: Melisa F
authors.initials: MF
authors.lastname: Pollak
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Reiner
authors.forename: Edward S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Rubin
authors.forename: Asbjørn
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Torvanger
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ulardic
authors.forename: Shalini P
authors.initials: SP
authors.lastname: Vajjhala
authors.forename: David G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Victor
authors.forename: Iain W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Wright
mesh_terms: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D055593:Geological Phenomena; D005844:Geology; D033161:Government Regulation; D017752:Greenhouse Effect; D007341:Insurance
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide