Carbon capture should be “the centre of the battle” in fighting climate change and delivering Net Zero, according to a new paper from former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair.
Writing for his eponymous think tank, The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, he said, “At present, carbon capture is not commercially viable despite being technologically feasible – but policy, finance and innovation would change this. The disdain for this technology in favour of the purist solution of stopping fossil-fuel production is totally misguided.”
The paper underlines a widely accepted truth that fossil fuels will remain key to delivering growth for developing and developed countries, despite the ongoing ramp up of renewables – which he said should continue as it is necessary and cost effective.
But present policy solutions are inadequate to meet the levels of growth and development, and the paper argues that governments are distorting the debate into a quest for a climate platform that is unrealistic and unworkable.
“Political leaders by and large know that the debate has become irrational, but they are terrified of saying so, for fear of being accused of being ‘climate deniers’,” he adds.
“As ever, when sensible people don’t speak up about the way a campaign is being conducted, the campaign stays in the hands of those who end up alienating the very opinion on which consent for action depends.”
Planning restrictions are a “colossal inhibitor” of clean energy growth and AI is potentially revolutionary in reducing energy use. “Yet there is little time devoted at climate conferences to it,” he said.
He said we have a chance to reset the debate, not by denying the urgency of climate action, but by updating the strategy.
“We need solutions that match the scale of the challenge and a new politics to get them done. Both are well overdue,” the paper concludes.
