1. Findings from CCS social research
Peta Ashworth,
Group Leader, Science into Society, CESRE
Presentation to GCCSI Members Meeting 4th October, 2011

2. Acknowledgements
• My team at CSIRO
• Sarah Wade: Wade LLC, Washington, USA
• Judith Bradbury, Gretchen Hund: Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory, Battelle, USA
• Sallie Greenberg: University of Illinois, USA
• David Reiner, Olaf Corry: Cambridge University, England
• Simon Shackley & team: University of Edinburgh, Scotland
• Marjolein de best Waldhober & team: ECN, the Netherlands
• Kenshi Itaoka & team: Mizuho Research Institute, Japan
• Edna Einsiedel & team, University of Calgary, Canada
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

3. Social Site Characterisation

4. Conducting social site characterisation
•Stakeholder identification
•Data interpretation and use
• What are the information needs?
• If missing information will seek from those around them,
particularly those with similar views or those they trust
• Frequent misconceptions : understanding of scale, pressure
effects, nature of storage space
• What are the concerns and perceptions?
• Not always technical risks but broader social factors
• What are the best options for outreach and
engagement?
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

5. Evaluating global CCS communication materials

6. Some of the findings:
• Focus is still on CCS and how it works, rather
than how it might be made to work
• Transport is the invisible technology
• There is a heavy reliance on climate change
as the sole rationale for justifying CCS
• A large majority of CCS materials is overtly
positive
• The internet and English language remains
the main focus for CCS communication
• The one size fits all approach limits the
usefulness to many groups
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

7. Communicating the risks of CCS

8. Pertinent project characteristics:
• Historic and economic ties
• Major employer, well paid jobs, support to local economy and tax
base
• Communicating with company employees
• Project hosts present and active in the community well before CCS
project was initiated
• Emphasis on community relations
• Significant experience communicating and working with local
stakeholders with dedicated community relations staff
• Context
• Need for fossil fuels and potential benefits of CCS not in dispute
• Less on climate change but recognition that regulatory constraints
on CO2 could affect business and local economy in the future
• Structure of the project team
• Engagement led by host company
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

9. Key findings:
• Recognise the risks to the project are likely
broader than the technical risks and commit,
up front, to a comprehensive plan to address
them
• Be open respectful and responsive to the
public
• Be proactive in the sense of planning ahead
about issues that could potentially arise
• Prepare for media interactions
• Use appropriate visual aids and analogies to
help communicate concepts to the public and
keep them simple
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

10. More to come
•CCS educational resource materials –
currently being trialled both nationally
and internationally
•Perceptions of CO2 – factors that
influence understanding and
acceptance CCS
•Decision support for defining energy
policy question using ICQ methodology
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

11. http://www.globalccsinstitute.com/publications
Public engagement
CSIRO. Science into Society Group

12. Science into Society Group
Peta Ashworth
Group Leader
CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering
Phone: +61 7 3327 4145
Email: peta.ashworth@csiro.au
Thank you
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