Sixteen years ago, on this day, November 16th, 2009,
A recently-released report by the World Coal Institute (WCI) on how to finance the experimental Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology for power stations, reminded me of a cartoon from years ago by the Australian cartoonist, Patrick Cook. In the cartoon, a huge bloated budgie (parakeet) with the letters “BHP” emblazoned on its chest, was holding a gun to its own head while proclaiming to a cowering politician, “Hand over the loot or the budgie gets it.” (At the time, BHP — which owned iron ore mines and steel mills — was haggling for government support for its ailing steel operations).
Burton. B. 2009. The Coal Industry Wants Your Cash to Save Them. PR Watch, 16 November.
http://www.prwatch.org/news/2009/11/8696/coal-industry-wants-your-cash-save-them
The amount of carbon dioxide in the air was 387ppm. As of 2025, when this post was published, it is 430ppm. This matters because the more carbon dioxide in the air, the more heat gets trapped. The more heat, the more extreme weather events. You can make it more complicated than that if you want, but really, it’s not. Fwiw, I have a tattoo of the Keeling Curve on my left forearm.
The broader context was that there had been a brief flurry of interest in CCS in 1989-1990, but then people had realised how much it would cost and moved on to other schemes. By 2000 the bandwagon was rolling again, not quickly, but rolling.
The specific context was 2009 is kind of peak-CCS, because the Global Financial Crisis then wrecked the EU’s proposed funding model for it.
What I think we can learn from this – the rich are not going to dip into their own pockets. They’re gonna use the state to do the R&D…
What happened next – CCS fell in a heap. Has since been propped up, a bit like “Weekend at Bernie’s”, frankly.
What do you think? Does this pass the ‘so what?’ threshold? Have I got facts wrong? Interpretation wrong? Please do comment on this post, unless you are a denialist, obvs.
Also on this day:
November 16, 1982 – development aid and the greenhouse effect… – All Our Yesterdays
November 16, 1995 – another skirmish in the IPCC war
November 16, 2021 – Chancellor cuddles up to oil bosses, of course.