The EPA's crackdown on emissions from power plants is a big first step — but without strict certification, it will be difficult to ensure that the captured carbon stays in place.

US government plans to take action against the greenhouse gas emissions of power plants, and as a result, a lot of money is going to be poured into technology that can capture carbon dioxide from chimneys and lock it away. This raises an important question: Once carbon dioxide is captured and stored, how do we ensure it stays? Power plants that burn fossil fuels such as coal and natural gas emit a lot of carbon dioxide. As CO₂ accumulates in the atmosphere, it traps heat near the Earth's surface, thereby causing global warming . However, if CO₂ emissions can be captured instead and locking them away for thousands of years , existing fossil fuel power plants could meet proposed new federal standards and reduce their impact on climate change. ( Stephanie Arcusa, Klaus Lackner, Arizona State University)