Grant: Alliance Grants

As Earth's climate warms and extreme weather events (e.g., heat domes, flooding) are increasing in severity and intensity, it is imperative that we act quickly to reduce our emissions of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. However, the main culprit of climate change, CO2, derives mainly from using fossil fuels which are essential to maintaining our present way of life. Canada has set a goal of Net Zero emissions by 2050. Finding an effective solution to combat climate change, meet our international commitments, and maintain our standard-of-living while we transition to new fuel sources requires removing as much carbon from the atmosphere as possible, and underground sequestration of CO2 is the most feasible approach over the short- to medium-term. Through this research, we will assess the carbon storage potential in sedimentary rocks underlying the Lower Mainland, British Columbia. The Lower Mainland has several large CO2 emitters, and our goal is to build a 3D model of the subsurface and identify storage sites for CO2 injection and sequestration. We will then run simulations to both determine the volume of CO2 that can be safely stored and identify the most environmentally friendly and economically beneficial designs for the Lower Mainland.