Carbon Capture Improves Air Quality with Quantifiable Health Benefits, New Study Reports
Recently, the Great Plains Institute and Carbon Solutions, LLC published groundbreaking research highlighting the quantifiable health benefits of carbon capture. In a first-of-its-kind study, the Great Plains Institute found that installing technologies designed to capture carbon dioxide emissions from industrial and power facilities has the potential to result in billions of dollars in annual health benefits nationwide. While experts have frequently touted the important role of carbon capture and storage to reducing carbon emissions, this new research points to significant opportunities to equitably improve air quality, especially in fence line communities near industrial areas.
The study found that these health benefits are directly tied to the reduction of emissions, like nitrogen oxides (NOx), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and particulate matter (PM), that would also be removed in a carbon capture system. Additionally, the study found positive health benefits across all sectors and all US regions and is the first to quantify the dollar value of the health benefits stemming from reducing these harmful co-pollutants.
According to the research, the Gulf Coast could see annual monetary health benefits ranging between $74.3 and $165.4 million thanks to carbon capture technology. Nationally, the US could realize an estimated $1.8 billion in annual US health benefits based on the data from the 54 facilities studied across the country.
The Great Plains Institute’s study demonstrates carbon capture’s effectiveness and furthers the compelling case for its expansion. With quantifiable economic, environmental, and now health benefits, carbon capture technology is truly paving the way for a prosperous and more sustainable future. Research like this is integral to the CCS Alliance’s mission to expand carbon capture technologies in the Gulf Coast region, and to make Houston a leader in the energy transition and a model for the rest of the country.
You can learn more about this study by visiting the Great Plains Institute’s website.
