Environmental Risk (and Benefit) Information Seeking Intentions: The Case of Carbon Capture and Storage in Southeast Texas

Americans remain relatively unaware of the risks and benefits associated with carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology, including its role in combating CO2 emissions as a means to address climate change. Our goal is to determine factors that might help build awareness and knowledge of CCS so that citizens can make informed decisions about it. Specifically, we focus on perceived risks, benefits and emotions associated with CCS and intentions to seek information about it. We surveyed 970 adults from a region of Texas that has seen recent growth in the application of CCS technology. Consistent with prior research, most respondents were not aware of CCS or the risks and benefits associated with it. To explore CCS-related information -seeking intent, we sought guidance from the planned risk information -seeking model, which identifies factors that contribute to intentions to seek information about risk-related topics. The majority of the hypothesized relationships were supported, and the model accounted for 48% of the variance in intent to seek information about CCS risks and benefits. Furthermore, perceived benefits and hope played significant roles in explaining information-seeking intent. Implications for better engaging the public with the topic of CCS are discussed.