Ministry Releases Technology Strategy Map for CO2 Fixation

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry released the Technology Map for Carbon Dioxide (CO2) Fixation and its Effective Application Areas on April 28, 2006, in order to promote the development of CO2 fixation technology. This map is part of the Technology Strategy Map for 2006, which aims to introduce key technologies to create new industries and measures for expanding the demand for goods and services.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), it is necessary to reduce world CO2 emissions by 8 billion tons by 2015, by 15 billion tons CO2 by 2030 and by 27 billion tons CO2 by 2050 in order to stabilize CO2 concentration in the atmosphere at 550ppm. These targets cannot be achieved simply by using energy-saving technologies, fossil fuel conversion and nuclear power generation. It is vital to develop and extend innovative technologies and to promote the use of new energy technologies, such as solar power. Practical introduction of these technologies, however, requires a comprehensive approach, including the consideration of cost reduction and safety assessment. It is important to introduce such technologies when these conditions are met.

The Technology Map for CO2 Fixation and its Effective Application Areas assesses the possibility of establishing technologies for CO2 fixation by 2030 and reducing their costs to 2,000-6,000 yen (US$17.4-52.2)/ton of CO2, based on the current estimated costs and technological levels. It recommends carbon separation/capture and storage in the earth, carbon sequestration in the ocean as well as terrestrial carbon sequestration via large-scale afforestation efforts, which should be introduced in terms of potential and cost effectiveness.


Posted: 2006/09/22 04:50:12 PM
Japanese version