The UK carbon capture and storage consortium (UKCCSC) is funded by the UK research councils under the TSEC initiative with the aim of facilitating the delivery of viable, large-scale carbon capture and storage options for the UK. The UKCCSC is a consortium of engineering, technical, natural, environmental and social scientists from fourteen UK research institutions.
The consortium is funded by the UK research councils under the TSEC initiative with the aim of rapidly expanding UK research capacity into CCS, and facilitating the delivery of viable, large-scale carbon capture and storage options for the UK.
The work of the UKCCSC is sub-divided into eight themes:
Theme A: CO2 capture, transport, usage
Theme B: Geological storage
Theme C: CCS & the environment
Theme D: Social processes
Theme E: Geographic information (GIS)
Theme F: Dissemination
Theme G: Modelling
Theme H: Dynamic Pathways Researchers at Tyndall Manchester are contributing to two of the above themes: Clair Gough is leading Theme H: Dynamic Pathways, and Sarah Mander is leading a project exploring media framing of CCS, under Theme D: Social Processes. Dynamic Pathways (H) There are three main objectives guiding this theme:
1.To gain a better understanding of the key uncertainties / controversies associated with CCS technologies
2.To identify key challenges / barriers to / conditions for the implementation of CCS in the UK
3. To build up pathways describing possible routes for CCS deployment in the UK, based on the results of 1 and 2.
An online Delphi survey has been developed in order to gather information and opinion from a broad variety of stakeholders. The survey is structured around questions on: the UK landscape, Capture and Engineering, CO2 transport, Storage, Leakage, Costs, Regulation, International context. Through this, we hope to gain insight into the level of agreement amongst expert individuals but also some indication of the perceptions of individuals engaged in the CCS debate in key issues beyond their specific area of expertise. Media Framing of CCS (D1) While there is ongoing work in public perceptions, and, to a lesser extent, in assessing NGO and industry perceptions, the role of the media has received scant attention.
The way in which the media report any new technology can radically affect the success of its implementation - how it is received by the public and other stakeholders as well as decision-makers in government and business. This work package aims to understand how media representatives perceive CCS within the broader energy and environmental debate, the process that affect these perceptions and the key risk issues that journalists may seize upon.
We will also explore the impact of the media framing of CCS upon public and stakeholder perceptions of the technology. Material from content analysis of newspapers will form the basis of structured workshops conducted in two different UK regions that will be affected by the adoption of CCS. The workshops will explore how different styles of reporting impact upon the responses of the NGO community to the technology. Interviews will also be conducted with local press, high level print and broadcast media representatives to understand how a new technology, such as CCS, emerges into the media spotlight.
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