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Exploring risk perceptions and framing of carbon capture and storage: a comparative analysis of community and developer views
Cecchini, Emily H.
Cecchini, Emily H.
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2025
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Abstract
Climate change is having an increasingly direct impact, resulting in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) being looked to as one of the potential tools to limit CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. Feasibility studies are essential in analyzing the critical aspects of a proposed project to determine its success. Previous research on CCS has highlighted that risk perceptions rely on more than just scientific facts and are dependent on multiple factors such as the information being shared and the trustworthiness of the communicator. There is also a research gap in understanding how local communities frame CCS, with much of the existing research focusing on how communities receive frames rather than how they actively construct and enact them. This thesis, conducted during a CCS feasibility study, investigates how differently situated stakeholder groups view and frame CCS and its risks, and how these differences affect risk communication. Through 30 interviews and participant observation of relevant events, this study examines the varied perspectives of CCS among local community members and carbon professionals. The interview process was limited by having most interviewees being among those that are described as the “interested public”, and having less from the general research area population. Through analysis using thematic coding and a quantitative analysis of codes, findings suggest that there are clear differences in how local community members and carbon professionals think about the risks of CCS, affecting how they are approaching risk communication strategies. There are also noticeable differences in how these two groups are framing CCS in general. Carbon professionals tend to view CCS as a positive and pragmatic tool for combating climate change, while community members viewing it as a negative and a distraction from other, more desirable approaches. By identifying institutional reasons why these gaps in framing and communication appear, this thesis provides insights into how future CCS studies and risk communication can be improved.
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