Central Alberta: CO2 Disposal Into Alberta Basin Aquifers - Phase II; Client Report

Carbon dioxide is a greenhouse gas that is considered to contribute to global climate warming, thus the emission of CO₂ and other greenhouse gases should actually be reduced. A general reduction of CO₂ emissions into the atmosphere can be achieved by a variety of means which can be broadly classified into: (1) improved/alternate energy uses, (2) CO₂ capture and utilization, and (3) CO₂ long-term disposal. A very attractive and cost-effective solution is energy conservation, although it may require tough policy measures (Turkenburg, 1992). Another option is the use of renewable energy sources. Until such energy sources are developed and applied on a large scale, fossil energy resources will continue to be the primary energy source for many countries. Improving energy efficiency may lead to a lowering of the rate of CO₂ generation. However, it is questionable whether improving on energy use, conservation and alternate sources can solve the CO₂ problem quickly enough. While these are probably solutions for the long term, short and medium term solutions have to be found to deal with the problem of increasing CO₂ emissions.