Pumping Carbon Into the Ground? Not a Good Idea.

As scientists and lawmakers struggle to find solutions to our growing global warming problems, they’ve come up with a whole host of ideas about what to do with our pollutants.

One idea that actually has a lot of support is called carbon capture and sequestration. The idea is simple: we take the carbon that many factories pump into the atmosphere and start pumping it into the ground instead.

Yeah, I know. We don’t need to be Oliver Stone to see how that scenario is going to play out. But apparently, most scientists and politicians actually think this is a good idea.

But other scientists are ringing the alarm bells on this idea. A new study by Duke University found that if the carbon manages to find its way out of their underground containment cells, and it gets into ground water reserves, it’s going to pollute our water.

By how much?

Well, it could pollute it enough so we can’t drink it. The New York Times reports that, “In particular, the concentrations of iron, cadmium and zinc, among other minerals, increased by more than 1,000 percent after exposure to carbon dioxide.”

Scary, right?

In spite of this information, the Energy Department will be funding 15 separate projects starting this summer to develop this new technology.

What’s a better idea?

Use renewable energy. Stop using so many fossil fuels. Consume fewer commercial products.

If we could all do just one or two of these things we wouldn’t have to have this conversation.