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THE idea of literally burying the carbon dioxide emissions problem – by storing the gas deep underground – got a double boost this week. On 10 February, an amendment to international law came into force that allows the greenhouse gas to be buried beneath the sea floor. At the same time, a new study counters one of the main fears over carbon burial – that the gas will simply leak out again, to boost future global warming.

Some companies have been experimenting with storage in undersea aquifers and porous rocks for more than a decade, but the law was unclear over whether carbon…

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