Reprinted from "A new international NGO voice on CCS" by George Peridas, originally posted on the NRDC Switchboard. Click here to see the original post.

A new international NGO network has just been announced (press release here), comprising some of the world's leading environmental advocacy organizations, which will focus on the topic of Carbon Capture & Sequestration (CCS). NRDC is part of this group.

The group's member organizations have all been working on CCS for a while now. CCS is a technically and scientifically involved subject, and NRDC has spent over 13 years studying the specifics of this technology. The groups' coming together under the umbrella of the network, however, comes from the common understanding that CCS needs to make a meaningful dent in reducing the world's carbon pollution, and that this must be done safely and effectively without endangering human health or the environment.

It is our hope that the network will provide a robust and credible international voice on CCS that is based on sound science rather than ideology, and also enhance knowledge sharing and cooperation between our respective continents (Australia, Europe and North America).

CCS can be controversial at times. Its main application lies with fossil fuels, which are not favorites among NGOs. It has often been used by some players in industry, who want CCS to be "tomorrow's technology forever", as a smokescreen to carry on with business as usual on fossil fuels. Despite all this, it remains an important piece of the puzzle when it comes to combating climate change. Fossil fuels will not go away in a hurry, and we need solutions to deal with the vast quantities of carbon pollution that they emit to the atmosphere.

Under this common belief, we hope that the new network can help advance national and international policy and regulatory developments that will make CCS a climate mitigation reallity, and that will ensure that we pick the best sites and operate them well.