Dr. Chris Bataille discusses industrial decarbonization pathways outlined in the IPCC report with host Shayle Kann.
Insight
Bataille: Enhanced oil recovery is the first major use for captured CO2
“The first biggest use if you're going to do CCU is actually enhanced oil recovery in place of other higher emitting oil sources as we climb down from a hundred million barrels a day down to zero sometime mid-century. But, you know, obviously that's a contentio…”
Prediction Held up
Bataille: Over 90% of captured CO2 must be permanently stored, not utilized
“The numbers I typically see is we will utilize less than 10% of it. Most of it has to go into deep storage, be it depleted oil and gas reservoirs with tight overseal, or into deep saline aquifers. Like, the vast majority has to go into permanent storage withou…”
Assertion Supported
Bataille: Permian methane leak rates make natural gas as dirty as coal
“In places like the Permian where, you know, the number is seven percent, then eight percent, then nine percent, those are tragically high fugitive, fugitive, fugitive levels. You might as well be doing coal.”
Prediction Open · timeframe Dec 2070
Bataille: Carbon removal is an admission we will miss net-zero targets
“We're probably going to blow past the deadline by about two decades, which means, you know, CDR is basically an admission of failure. That we did not mitigate fast enough.”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Bataille: Technical carbon dioxide removal will reach 1 to 5 gigatons annually
“The key CDR technologies, in my mind, will be direct air capture with CCS, because what CCS does is it takes the CO₂ taken by the direct air capture unit and pushes it back underground, and probably some forms of geological weathering, and it's going to be a b…”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Bataille: Underground CO2 storage will face public resistance due to fracking fears
“I think there's going to be some resistance there, partly just socially. You know, after the experience with the shallow fracking that brought up a lot of math, methane, people are worried about drilling, right? So deep saline is you're going 800 meters down. …”