Delving into the complexities of garnering public support for emerging technologies, the workshop held on November 15th brought together around 100 participants, both online and in person, to address the challenges of communicating and gaining public acceptance for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS).
The workshop, hosted by the Shell Global Solutions International B.V in Amsterdam, was a collaborative effort between the ACT3 (Accelerating CCS Technology) projects SHARP and ENSURE, and provided a platform for industry experts, researchers, and policymakers to discuss how to communicate effectively about CCS technologies to a diverse target audience.
The input will be used in developing effective communication strategies around CO2 sequestration for diverse target audiences.
Based on the participants, these are the largest barriers for public acceptance of CO2-storage:
Program highlights
Insights from research:
Professor Sven Anders, University of Alberta, presented the results of a comprehensive public perception survey and economic experiment conducted across five countries (Norway, Germany, Netherlands, UK, and Canada) as part of the ENSURE project. The survey revealed that approximately half of the respondents had not heard about CCS, highlighting the need for effective communication strategies.
Keynote speakers gave valuable insights into various perspectives on communication.
Knowledge transfer and communication best practices:
Klaus Grosfeld, Senior scientist in the Climate Sciences Department of the Alfred Wegener Institute shared best practices for knowledge transfer and communication of scientific results, highlighted among others the importance of dedicated funding, good understanding of the user community, and persistent involvement of science into the process.
Industry perspective:
Onno van Kessel, Shell’s General Manager for CCS Development & Subsurface provided insights from the industry standpoint, shedding light on the challenges and opportunities in communicating CCS advancements.
Effective communication for policy makers and the public:
Pauline Kruiver, Strategic Business Manager Seismology and Acoustics at KNMI, gave examples of effective communication strategies tailored for policy and the general public, underlining the significance open and transparent communication.
The workshop ended with a panel discussion moderated by Stephen Harvey, Geophysicist at Shell.
Project coordinators for SHARP, Elin Skurtveit from NGI, and Bettina Goertz-Allmann from NORSAR expressed gratitude for the valuable contributions made by workshop participants, highlighting the collaborative effort in unlocking crucial insights for advancing CCS technology and public acceptance.
