Blows traded over carbon capture

Plans to reduce South Africa's carbon overload by capturing noxious gases and storing them in the ground came under fire this week in the run-up to Durban's COP17 climate change conference. Carbon capture and storage is a flagship programme in the government's proposed National Climate Change Response white paper, presently subject to public hearings. It was also part of the government's long-term mitigation plans to counter climate change. The technology has drawn growing interest in recent weeks and is expected to be a hot topic at COP17 later this month.