Reading Practice government-supported program in the US has enabled some factories to partially

capture carbon emissions, which they then sell for various uses, including
Answers Underground carbonating soft drinks. However, there are no power plants ready for full carbon
Burying greenhouse gases to slow global warming capture.

A. One way to slow global warming is to take the greenhouse gases that cause it G. Once the carbon has been captured it must be stored. Natural carbon sinks,
and bury them. That is the idea behind projects now under way to capture emissions such as forests and wetlands, can remove some carbon dioxide from the
from power plants and factories and force them underground or deep into the ocean. atmosphere, but not nearly enough. Carbon dioxide could be pumped to the bottom
There, proponents argue, they could be trapped for thousands of years. of the ocean, where the pressure would keep it pinned to the seabed in liquid form for
B. This concept, known as carbon sequestration, is already being used by oil decades, but that has serious long-term environmental risks. David Hawkins, from
companies to improve the efficiency of oil wells, and now engineers have begun the Natural Resources Defense Council in Washington, warns that the carbon dioxide
exploring ways to capture carbon dioxide emissions from power plants to reduce their could radically alter the chemical balance in the ocean, with potentially harmful
impact on the environment. At a recent conference, delegates from fourteen consequences for marine life. Others worry that the carbon dioxide could escape
industrialised and developing countries agreed to engage in cooperative research into back into the atmosphere.
capturing and storing carbon dioxide. H. A few promising attempts at underground carbon sequestration are currently
C. The goal is to stabilise emissions of greenhouse gases that trap heat in the under way. In western Canada, an oil company is pumping liquefied carbon dioxide
atmosphere. Over the past century, airborne carbon dioxide concentrations have into oil wells to force more oil to the surface and boost recovery by 10-15%. The
risen by nearly a third, according to Scott Klara, sequestration manager at the US company gets the carbon dioxide via a pipeline from North Dakota in the US, where
National Energy Technology Laboratory. Unless emissions are slashed by two thirds the gas is captured from a synthetic-fuel plant. In another instance in the North Sea, a
worldwide, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change predicts that Norwegian energy firm is injecting carbon dioxide waste from its natural-gas
concentrations will rise to double the levels of the early 1700s, before the Industrial operations into a saline aquifer 1,000 metres beneath the ocean floor.
Revolution. These increased levels of carbon-based compounds in the atmosphere I. Clearly, storing large amounts of gas underground raises environmental
are believed to be the cause of rising temperatures and sea levels around the world. fears. Environmentalists argue that more research is needed on potential storage
Ignoring the problem is therefore not an option. sites, such as oil and gas reservoirs and coal seams unsuitable for mining, to ensure
D. Limiting emissions, however, is not an easy undertaking since increased that they offer long-term solutions. The World Wide Fund for Nature Australia has
energy consumption is a key to economic growth. Two thirds of the world's power- argued that the primary risk of underground storage is that dangerously large volumes
generating capacity, expected to come into use by 2030, has not been constructed of carbon dioxide might escape and people become asphyxiated.
yet, according to the International Energy Agency. The developing world will be J. Little progress in slashing global greenhouse gases can be achieved
particularly important. China and India alone are expected to account for two thirds of without involving developing countries, but for now carbon sequestration is not their
the global increase in coal usage over the next fifteen years. priority because of the increased costs this would add to energy production. Hawkins
E. Solutions are being sought. Work is being undertaken with alternatives to argues that, to encourage developing nations to use sequestration, developed nations
fossil fuels such as wind and solar energy, but it will be a long time before these will have to provide assistance. He suggests a multilateral initiative in which
alternative sources play a major role in fulfilling the world's energy needs. developed nations, perhaps by purchasing carbon credits from poorer countries,
Geophysicist Klaus Lackner points out that around 85% of the world's energy is finance the difference between the cost of a regular coal-fired power plant and one
derived from fossil fuels, the cheapest and most plentiful energy source available, that captures carbon emissions. That is, the rich - who will remain the world's biggest
and the developing world in particular is unlikely to give them up. That is why many polluters for years to come - would buy the right to emit carbon from the poor, who
scientists support sequestration would use the proceeds to build better plants.
F. However, several problems must be resolved before sequestration plays a
key role in a low-carbon future. One is the cost of capturing carbon dioxide. A second
is storing the gas safely once it's been captured. Today, it costs about $US50 to
extract and store a tonne of carbon dioxide from a power plant, which raises the cost
of producing electricity by 30-80%. Lackner argues that it is too expensive to adapt
existing plants to capture carbon dioxide. Instead, he recommends that carbon-
capturing capacity be built into future plants. Economic incentives are needed to
encourage companies to identify low-cost carbon-sequestration solutions. A

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Questions 1-6
Questions 10-13
Look at the following issues (Questions 1-6) and the list of people and organisations below.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
Match each issue with the correct person or organization, A-F.
In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet, write
Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet. TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
NB You may use any letter more than once. FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
1..................... The cost implications of fitting plants with the necessary NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
equipment.

2..................... The effects of sequestration could have on sea creatures.

10..................... Both developing and developed nations have decided to investigate
3..................... The reasons why products such as oil and gas continue to be carbon dioxide sequestration.
popular energy sources.
11..................... A growing economy will use more power.
4..................... The need for industrialised countries to give aid to less wealthy
countries. 12..................... Capturing carbon dioxide has become financially attractive.

5..................... The significant increase in carbon dioxide concentrations in the air 13..................... More forests need to be planted to improve the atmosphere.
over the last 100 years.

6..................... The potential for sequestration to harm human life.

List of People and organisations

A Scott Klara

B Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

C International Energy Agency

D Klaus Lackner

E David Hawkins

F World Wide Fund for Nature Australia

Questions 7- 9
Reading Passage has ten paragraphs, A-J.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.

7..................... Examples of sequestration already in use in several parts of the world

8..................... An example of putting carbon dioxide emissions to use in the food and
beverage industry

9..................... Current examples of the environmental harm attributed to carbon

dioxide in the air

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