Offshore CCS poses risks to seabeds and ocean ecosystems

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) warns that proposals to bury carbon dioxide beneath the oceans, a technique known as offshore carbon capture and storage (CCS), could pose significant risks to seabeds and aquatic ecosystems. The untested technique involves pooling CO2 from various industrial sources and injecting it into subsea storage hubs. CIEL notes that combining CO2 streams with different impurities could pose technical challenges and risks to infrastructure, endangering project feasibility and safety. The report calls for caution, stating that injecting CO2 into seabeds could contaminate groundwater, cause earthquakes, and displace toxic brine deposits. (The Energy Mix)