Who’s talking CCS?

AbstractThis article presents research conducted on recent media coverage of ‘carbon dioxide capture and storage’ (CCS) technology in Australia. Recognising the significant impact of print, radio and television media in shaping public perceptions and attitudes, the purpose of the research is to inform policy makers on current media debate on CCS and make recommendations on ways to communicate and engage with the journalism/media profession. A total of 390 media articles were sourced from an indexing database (ProQuest ANZ Newsstand) and content analysed according to several criteria. Results were that there was roughly an even split between articles that were pro-CCS and those against. In all, six emergent themes were identified–three affirmative and three negative arguments–which covered 70% of articles analysed. The data also revealed that the term ‘clean coal’ was most often associated with CCS technology, and that technical explanations were not often provided. Implications for energy policy, particularly in relation to communication and public engagement are discussed