COP21: What’s up in Paris?

Tuesday 8. December I participated in a side-event on COP21 where we will disclose the NORDICCS Roadmap for CCS, the ideas about hydrogen from natural gas as a long term solution for Norwegian gas exports and the storage potential.

My other blogs from Paris…

• Day 2: North Sea – Airbnb for CO2
• Day 3: COP21: Will it deliver?
• Day 4: American Graffitti and Chemical engineers

The research I will present is based on the BIGCCS activities on hydrogen and spin-offs from BIGCCS and it’s all in the envelope of our international engagement in EERA CCS JP. So it’s all good stuff. The event also includes contributions from BGS and Bellona.

A logistic nirvana

The last COP I attended was the Copenhagen meeting, COP15. Paris is a logistic nirvana, everything works here and it’s plug and play. A new feature is that COP is now evolving into a kind of exhibition. Sure, there are the delegation offices in the different halls, but countries have separate displays and events going on.

The Nordic countries have such a display, Germany, EU etc., but the coolest is without a doubt USA. They run presentations with cool projector techiques and cutting edge research using for instance satellite data. NASA made a presentation yesterday which blew us off our chairs. It is amazing what you can analyse when you have satellite views and measurement techniques to calculate ice coverage, forest coverage and desert extension (as we know little can be hidden). This will be an important tool for monitoring how the various countries are doing versus their own pledges (INDC’s- Intendend Nationally Determined Contributions).

Truly interested in climate change mitigation

It’s also a revelation to meet people that are truly interested in climate change mitigation and what we can do and not to discuss if climate change is real or not. The NASA presentation should be enough for everybody to leave that discussion, but I guess we are now down to 2-3% sceptics and they will never change, we still have the flat earth society.

It’s also a revelation to meet people that are truly interested in mitigation

Bad guys? Well the kind of logic displayed by countries that maintain they will not sign an agreement because it will not be sufficient to avoid a catastrophe is hard to understand.

India is in the searchlight for other reasons. India is now becoming the “new China”, closing in on Europe as the 3rd largest contributor to greenhouse gases in the world. Average emission per capita in India is below 2 ton/year of carbon dioxide, that’s actually where we need to be in a 2 degree scenario on a global average. Need I remind you that in Norway we are about 10 ton/yr?

Appetite for CCS?

So, is there any appetite for CCS at COP21? Well Bellona is making a case for carbon negative solutions. It’s well timed given the recent paper co-authored by Glen Peters from CICERO showing pathways to keep within the carbon budget and the need for carbon negative solutions. CICERO is also making a case  for emission increase is now reducing, i.e growth in emissions is levelling out. Good news if this is the peak of emissions, but is it? Paris is about making sure that will be the case…

You can follow my tweets from Paris if you like.

To be continued:

• Day 2: North Sea – Airbnb for CO2
• Day 3: COP21: Will it deliver?
• Day 4: American Graffitti and Chemical engineers