Katherine Romanak meets with climate delegates from around the world at the exhibit booth on carbon sequestration.
The recent COP21 United Nations Conference on Climate Change held in Paris provided a clear measure of worldwide interest in climate-change technologies like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). The conference had more than 50,000 participants, including 25,000 official delegates from government, intergovernmental organizations, UN agencies, and NGO’s. As world interest in climate-change technologies grows, so does the Bureau’s reach and recognition as a historic leader in CCS and capacity development. Representing the Bureau’s Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC), Research Scientist Katherine Romanak presented “Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS): Achievements and Opportunities for Developing Country Involvement.” The session sought to continue efforts to create active collaborations in technology transfer, especially among economically emerging societies.
Katherine Romanak at COP21
Said Romanak, “We saw a 30-fold increase in CCS interest since COP17 in Durban in 2011. With more than 200 in attendance and standing room only, we also had a lot of positive and engaging questions that showed an increased level of understanding by the stakeholders.” The conference generated strong interest in collaboration from countries such as Nigeria, Thailand, Ghana, and Russia. The event also provided an opportunity to promote the Bureau’s hosting of the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum’s planned Capacity Building Workshop on Sub-Seabed Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide, scheduled for April of 2016.
