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CO₂ and Storage in the Region

The PCOR Partnership region includes all or part of nine U.S. states and four Canadian provinces within the central interior of North America.

The U.S. portion of the PCOR Partnership region contains 8% of the U.S. population and 16% of the U.S. land area and generates about 7% of the U.S. gross domestic product. The area accounts for 9% of the anthropogenic CO₂ produced in the United States.

The Canadian portion of the PCOR Partnership region contains 17% of the Canadian population and 20% of its land area and generates about 22% of Canada's gross domestic product. The area accounts for 40% of the anthropogenic CO₂ produced in Canada.

Viewed from a global perspective, the PCOR Partnership region accounts for 0.5% of the population and 2.5% of the land mass and generates 2.5% of the gross domestic product. The PCOR Partnership region also accounts for around 3.0% of the global anthropogenic CO₂ emissions.

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The PCOR Partnership region has significant potential to reduce anthropogenic CO₂ emissions to the atmosphere by storing the carbon from CO₂ at the surface (terrestrial CO₂ sinks) or in the subsurface (geologic CO₂ sinks). Storing carbon in soils and plant materials at the surface of the Earth is called terrestrial CO₂ sequestration. Storing carbon dioxide in geologic layers deep beneath the surface of the Earth is called geologic sequestration. There are also many opportunities to reduce CO₂ emissions through increased use of renewable energy, advanced power systems, and conservation. Individuals can also make a difference (What Can I Do?).

Follow these links to learn more about the PCOR Partnership region's sources of anthropogenic CO₂, its terrestrial and geologic CO₂ sinks that are critical to CO₂ sequestration activities, the field validation tests and demonstrations currently under way for CO₂ sequestration in the region, and the regulation and permitting background for CO₂ sequestration in the international PCOR Partnership region.