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“Expect a climate disaster unless…”, Edinburgh conference told
“Expect a climate disaster unless…”, Edinburgh conference told

29th November 2018

Edinburgh, 29 November 2018: International climate change leaders meeting in Edinburgh have heard that any exclusion of carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) amongst key climate change remedies will spell disaster for Paris targets - and any hope of a fully decarbonised future.

An international conference organised by the UK Government and the Global CCS Institute following on from the UK Government - International Energy Agency (IEA) International CCUS Summit, has called on all sectors – government, financial, environmental and industrial -  to collaborate on the acceleration of CCS/CCUS technologies.

Opening the event, UK Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, Rt Hon Claire Perry said:

“At this seminal summit and conference, the UK is setting a world-leading ambition for developing and deploying carbon capture and storage technology to cut emissions.”

“It shows how determined all countries are to unlock the potential of this game-changing technology that representatives from across the globe are gathered in Edinburgh. The time is now to seize this challenge to tackle climate change while kick starting an entirely new industry.”

Supporting these points, Global CCS Institute CEO, Brad Page, said the UK has a genuine opportunity to become a global technology leader for CCUS, securing the economic and climate benefits it can deliver.

Under the theme “Accelerating CCUS”, the international conference highlighted the full potential and the multifaceted value of CCUS for national and global economies. The deployment of CCS could:

  • preserve jobs and generate new employment;
  • build new industries, especially in the manufacture of CCS-related componentry;
  • create new energy economies including hydrogen, and CO2 re-use applications;
  • support industrial competitiveness and new innovation.

At the event, Global CCS Institute CEO, Brad Page also emphasised that the time to pick favourite clean technologies was over.

“As the recently released IPCC 1.5 report acknowledges, CCS technologies are indispensable to a net zero future. There is simply no other technology that can address emissions from sectors such as steel, cement and fertilisers which remain indispensable to our future.

“The debate needs to shift and it must shift if anyone is truly serious about targets and timeframes. Expect a climate disaster if CCS is not on the table.”

Mr Page said that over the past year, CCUS progress had been made in the UK, USA, China, Japan, Norway and the Netherlands, where supportive CCS mechanisms were being put in place.

Mr Page, a UK CCUS Council Member, said the UK especially, had recognised the full potential that CCUS can bring to industry, employment and the long-term economy.

In his opening remarks to the conference, IEA Executive Director, Dr Fatih Birol, said: “CCUS is critically important for reaching global climate targets while meeting the planet’s energy needs. We’ve seen slow and steady progress on CCUS in the past decade, but this is far from enough. The task of deploying CCUS must be approached with a real sense of urgency.”

“But, as we saw yesterday during the UK-IEA hosted International CCUS Summit, the technology is attracting renewed interest from governments and industry, thanks in part to the UK Government’s leadership. As our recent analysis from the World Energy Outlook demonstrated, CCUS is one of the few technologies that can create room for manoeuvre by allowing critical energy infrastructure to operate without carbon emissions,” Dr Birol said.

The conference has brought together more than 350 international experts to explore avenues for collaboration and investment in CCUS projects.

There are currently 23 commercial large-scale global CCS facilities in operation or construction and a further 28 pilot and demonstration scale facilities in operation or under construction.

You can find out more about the conference, speakers and agenda on the event’s website: https://www.ccusglobalconference.com/

CCS part of an ambitious climate neutral future for Europe
CCS part of an ambitious climate neutral future for Europe

28th November 2018

Brussels, 28 November 2018: Ahead of the UN climate talks COP24 in Katowice, the European Commission released its new Strategy for long-term greenhouse gas emission reductions. The new long-term climate strategy sets the tone for Europe’s climate ambition and presents carbon capture and storage (CCS) as part of the solution in the efforts to decarbonise Europe’s economy and energy system.

The Global CCS Institute applauds the vision of the European Commission’s commitment to climate neutrality by 2050. In the newly released strategy, CCS is presented as one of the seven strategic areas in Europe’s pathway to a climate neutral economy.

The strategy recognises the full potential of CCS to deliver deep emissions cuts from energy-intensive industries and as an enabler of negative emissions. It also clearly demonstrates the need to consider all available climate mitigation solutions to achieve the ambitious goals of the Paris Agreement.

CCS can bring significant and sustained value to Europe and its Member States. It will be key to support a just transition and guarantee that European industries remain competitive in a low-carbon economy. CCS technologies can also offer new employment opportunities, reskill and retain workers and be an important cornerstone of a new energy economy with the production of hydrogen and CO2 utilisation.

The landmark IPCC 1.5 report has emphasised the importance of CCS in a net-zero future underlining that climate inaction will have severe consequences for our societies. The IPCC Fifth Assessment Report also concluded that mitigation costs will increase by 138% without the inclusion of CCS in the mix.

In light of the publication of the long-term strategy, Guloren Turan, Global CCS Institute’s General Manager, Advocacy, said: “The strategy is an opportunity for Europe to position itself as a leader in the climate space as well as in CCS. This is the start of a realistic conversation on how we are to achieve the Paris goals. To deliver net-zero, Europe needs to embrace CCS alongside all other climate actions. There are many exciting and innovative CCS projects in the region that will play an important role in achieving Europe’s climate targets. This is an opportunity for Europe build a long-term climate vision and the policy confidence needed to help scale-up the commercial deployment of CCS.”

There is a pipeline of pioneering European CCS projects with the potential to bring significant social and economic value for local industries and communities. In Europe, there are currently two operating CCS facilities in Norway and nine CCS facilities in advanced development or early construction. In the last year, there have also been important developments in decarbonised hydrogen. Globally, there are 23 commercial large-scale CCS facilities in operation or construction.

In the next months, the Global CCS Institute hopes to continue to be part of this important discussion towards the development of a formal European Strategy by 2020 and as Member States finalise their national climate plans.

Global CCS Institute response to the European Parliament vote on COP24 resolution
Global CCS Institute response to the European Parliament vote on COP24 resolution

26th October 2018

Today, the European Parliament voted on its position on the COP24 climate summit. MEPs rejected Recital R in a proposed amendment to the COP24 resolution. The suggested text included misleading and scientifically unsupported information about the role and value of carbon capture and storage.

In reaction to today’s vote, John Scowcroft, Executive Adviser for Europe for the Global CCS Institute said:

“Today’s vote recognizes that CCS has a role to play in Europe’s long-term climate strategy and in its ambition to achieve a net-zero emissions future. The decision to reject Recital R acknowledges that all mitigation actions will need to be deployed to deliver net-zero emissions by the middle of the century. There is strong scientific evidence supporting the technology and its role in achieving climate targets. CCS is the only technology able to deliver deep emissions reductions quickly and cost-effectively. CCS also has the potential to create significant value for Europe and its industries and will be key to ensure a just transition for all. ”

Global CCS Institute’s Response to European Court of Auditor Special Report
Global CCS Institute’s Response to European Court of Auditor Special Report

25th October 2018

A new report from the European Court of Auditors, the EU’s independent external auditor, was launched today examining past EU funding programmes established to support carbon capture and storage (CCS) and innovative renewables.

Building on the lessons learned from the New Entrants’ Reserve 300 (NER300) and the European Energy Programmes for Recovery (EEPR), the auditors put forward a series of recommendations looking ahead to the launch of the Innovation Fund in 2021.

John Scowcroft, Executive Adviser for Europe at the Global CCS Institute, said it is important for the EU and other key stakeholders to build on the conclusions and observations made in this report and incorporate them as we move forward to accelerate the deployment of CCS in Europe to reach global climate targets.

“Despite previous efforts to accelerate the deployment of CCS in Europe, we are still lagging behind compared to other regions of the world. We hope that this report will help guide policy makers working on the Innovation fund to ensure it will help get CCS projects off the ground. The lessons learnt and the informed recommendations put forward by the European Court of Auditors should contribute to further improvements on how the European Union supports CCS in the near-future. Support funding mechanisms need to be designed to enable investment and development of full-scale CCS projects and transport and storage infrastructure.”

The European Court of Auditors report concluded that adverse investment conditions, including uncertainty in regulatory frameworks and policies,  design of the NER300 not being sufficiently flexible and effective in reducing the risk of demonstration projects and finally issues with accountability and coordination were to blame for the limited success of the NER300 and EEPR in supporting CCS.

The Global CCS Institute was interviewed as part of the report given its role as manager of the European CCS Demonstration Network. The report has highlighted the important role of the Network in sharing knowledge gained on different CCS projects.

You can read the European Court of Auditors report here.

Global CCS Institute response to the ENVI Committee amendment to Resolution on COP24
Global CCS Institute response to the ENVI Committee amendment to Resolution on COP24

24th October 2018

The Institute was made aware of the proposed amendment to the Resolution 2018 UN Climate Change Conference in Katowice, Poland (COP24). The Institute considers that the amendment on carbon capture and storage (CCS) does not accurately represent the critical role and value of the technology to achieving a net-zero emissions future by the middle of the century. The following text offers misleading and scientifically unsupported information about CCS:

“R.  whereas the technologies necessary for safe and efficient carbon capture and storage (CCS) remain unproven and, in particular, the geo-engineering involved in the creation of artificial carbon sinks is associated with risks of an unknown scale; whereas CCS cannot therefore be counted upon as part of any mitigation solution and should be prevented from clouding the urgency of radically stepping up climate action through the use of existing technologies and feasible changes in systems and lifestyles;”

The Institute has put forward supporting evidence to address these inaccuracies. You can find our position paper here.

PDF icon GCCSI Response to ENVI Committee amendment on COP24 Resolution

Submission to the public consultation on the strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emissions reductions
Submission to the public consultation on the strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emissions reductions

8th October 2018

In July 2018, the European Commission launched a public consultation on a strategy for long-term EU greenhouse gas emissions reduction. The strategy will shape the vision for the EU's climate action ambition. The public consultation will also help define several pathways for decarbonisation and their implications on technology choices and socioeconomic factors. The EU's long-term climate strategy is expected to be published in November 2018.

The Global CCS Institute supports the European Commission’s commitment to deliver a new strategy for long-term greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions in line with the Paris Agreement. The Institute also welcomes the opportunity to present its views and provide feedback through this public consultation. The Institute has submitted a response to the public consultation. In this position paper, the Institute highlights the urgent need to scale up the deployment of CCS to meet global climate targets and net-zero by the second half of the century. The Institute also highlight the value of CCS for Europe, its industries and citizens.

PDF icon Position Paper - GCCSI Long-term Strategy for long-term GHG emissions reductions

Carbon capture and storage remains essential to beating climate change
Carbon capture and storage remains essential to beating climate change

8th October 2018 - Australia, Melbourne

Melbourne: Monday 8 October, 2018: Latest Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) findings released today are further confirmation that carbon capture and storage (CCS) is essential to mitigating climate change.

Welcoming the release of the IPCC’s Special Report of 1.5 Degrees, the world authority on CCS, the Global CCS Institute, said 2 degrees, let alone 1.5 degrees, cannot be met without CCS and the best climate science available was continuing to support that fact.

Global CCS Institute CEO, Brad Page, said as the world veered off-track in meeting international climate change commitments, it was pressingly apparent that CCS was an essential part of the arsenal of clean technologies needed to combat climate change.

“The IPCC’s report reconfirms the role which carbon capture and technology must play in beating climate change, and the fact that all technologies are necessary.

“As the IPCC has acknowledged, the extreme weather events witnessed around the world over the past few months are evidence enough of the catastrophe that climate change poses.

We need to take heed and take action to what is happening. The IPCC’s report is yet another call to arms.”

Mr Page said the IPCC, as well as the International Energy Agency (IEA), confirmed that CCS was the only technology capable of decarbonizing major industry, particularly the high emitting cement, steel and petrochemical sectors.

“These are sectors that cannot be turned off at the flick of a switch. They need a technology that can mitigate their emissions at the same time as safeguarding the jobs and economies they support.

“We have a technology that can bridge the gap between our current fossil fuel dependence and a future which is emission free.”

Mr Page said the Report has reinforced the fact that a 1.5 degree world cannot be reached without deployment of all clean technologies and carbon capture and storage is most definitively one.

“CCS must remain at the forefront of national, regional and international policy discussions and, as the IPCC said today, governments must act on this evidence.”

There are now 18 large-scale CCS facilities in commercial operation around the world, with five in construction and more 20 in various stages of development.

Ends

Antonios Papaspiropoulos (Melbourne): +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith (Melbourne): +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 (0) 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

Lee Beck (Washington DC): +1 202-677-9053 lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists of governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

PDF icon ipcc-1.5-media-statement.pdf

Climate change solution ‘no one is talking about’ explored in new video
Climate change solution ‘no one is talking about’ explored in new video

2nd October 2018

A critically important global solution that addresses climate change, energy demand and workforce/economic opportunity is the focus of “CCS: Bridge to a Cleaner Energy Future,” a newly released mini documentary commissioned by the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers and produced by Wide Awake Films. The video, viewable at www.CleanerFutureCCS.org, is a collaboration of 11 energy, environmental and industry experts exploring how carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies can solve the three oft-at-odds issues of energy, environment and economy.

“CCS is the solution no one is talking about; but everyone should be talking about,” says Julio Friedmann, Columbia University Senior Research Scholar and CEO of Carbon Wrangler. “That is the goal of this video: to make it easier to understand how CCS works and why it is the vital component to mitigating climate change and reaching the Paris climate targets. Moreover, the video explains how CCS allows reliable energy production through a realistic mix of renewables and clean fossil fuels; and that it’s the solution that keeps the energy and industrial workforce at work and local and global economies healthy.”

Friedmann is among a cadre of CCS, energy and industry thought leaders interviewed in the video.

Brad Page, CEO of the Global CCS Institute, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia, explains in the video why carbon capture and storage must be part of the overall climate change solution: “At the end of the day, if what you care about is our planet and our home, then really you want to embrace everything that can get this problem solved.”

Also featured in the 15-minute video (a 5-minute version is also available) are: Mike Monea, President and CEO of the International CCS Knowledge Centre; Ian MacGregor, Chairman and CEO of North West Refining, Inc.; Sandra Odendahl, CEO, CMC Research Institutes; Beth Hardy, Vice President for Strategy and Stakeholder Relations, International CCS Knowledge Centre; Tim Wiwchar, Athabasca Oil Sands Project (Shell Quest); Cory Channon, International Rep, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers; Erik Nickel, Director of Operations, Petroleum Technology Research Centre;  Richard MacIntosh, International Rep, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers; and Alison Cartier, Marketing and Communications Manager, Inventys Inc.

“The world must move forward with CCS not only in the energy sector but across all heavy industry,” says Friedmann. “CCS is a solution and a bridge to the future of clean energy that renewable energy and conservation cannot by themselves achieve. And its development and application will fuel economic growth and create many thousands of well-paying jobs.

“It’s important that more people understand CCS, spread the word that it is the right solution and implore business and government leaders globally to adopt CCS as the right way forward.”

ENDS

Global CCS Institute Contacts    

Antonios Papaspiropoulos (Asia Pacific): +61 401 944 478
antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider (Europe): +32 (0) 25503972
annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

Lee Beck (Americas) +1 202-895-2792
lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com

Additional Contacts

INTERNATIONAL BROTHERHOOD OF BOILERMAKERS

Cory Channon (Edmonton, AB) +1 780-886-4717
cchannon@boilermakers.org

Cecile Conroy (Washington, DC) +1 202-756-2868
cconroy@boilermakers.org

Mike Linderer (Kansas City, KS) +1 913-371-2640
mlinderer@boilermakers.org

INTERNATIONAL CCS KNOWLEDGE CENTRE

Jodi Woollam (Regina, SK) +1-306-565-5956
jwoollam@CCSKnowledge.com

NORTH WEST REFINING

Alyssa Haunholter (Calgary, AB) +1 780-504-2623
ahaunholter@nwrefining.com

CMC RESEARCH INSTITUTES, INC.

Ruth Klinkhammer (Calgary, AB) +1 403.210.7879
ruth.klinkhammer@cmcghg.com

PETROLEUM TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH CENTRE

Norm Sacuta, (Regina, SK) +1.306.787.7497
norm.sacuta@ptrc.ca

INVENTYS

Alison Cartier (Burnaby, BC) +1.778.990.8734
alison.cartier@inventysinc.com

PDF icon media-releaseclimate-change-solution-no-one-talking-about-explored-new-video.pdf

Global CCS Institute signs letter calling for CCUS support
Global CCS Institute signs letter calling for CCUS support

18th September 2018

The Global CCS Institute alongside European industries and energy producers signed a letter addressed to EU Energy Ministers attending the informal meeting in Linz, Austria on September 17-18 2018.

The letter states that CCUS will be essential to enable industrial growth in Europe. The signatories of the letter believe that CCUS should be an integral part of Europe's strategy for a low carbon and globally competititve industrial economy. The letter calls for strong political support to enable commercial deployment of CCUS technologies in Europe.

PDF icon Download letter

“Setting the pace” – China establishes world’s 18th large-scale CCS facility
“Setting the pace” – China establishes world’s 18th large-scale CCS facility

13th August 2018 - Beijing

Beijing, 9.00am (CST) Monday August 13: China is continuing to set the pace in deploying carbon capture and storage (CCS) as a vital climate change technology with the announcement that the Jilin CCS facility has reached a storage capacity of 0.6 million tonnes of CO2 per annum.

This makes Jilin CCS the world’s 18th large-scale CCS facility in operation, joining the ranks of major commercial CCS facilities in the United States, Canada, Norway, Brazil, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Global CCS Institute CEO, Brad Page, says this shows the speed at which China is accelerating CCS deployment and the commitment that national, regional and municipal governments are according the technology.

“Over the past year, China has shown a massive resolve in deploying CCS technology and there are now more than 20 projects in various stages of development.

China recognises that CCS is the only clean technology that can be applied to decarbonise major industries and has the added potential to create new revenue streams which enable economic growth.”

Mr Page says CCS is now part of long term, five-year strategic plans across China and acceleration has been aided by the roll-out of an emissions trading scheme, with a carbon price about to be introduced.

“This is the type of policy confidence and predictability which we have long been advocating. It shows that with the right support, collaborative participation, and economic instruments, CCS can play its part in helping the world meet climate change targets.”

PetroChina has placed a big attention on CCS development and Jilin is one of two national CCS projects in its charge. Jilin CCUS is located in northeastern China and is capturing CO2 from a natural gas processing plant at the Changling gas field and transporting it by pipeline to onshore injections sites.

Dr Liu Qiang, Director of Strategy and Planning Department at the National Centre for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation (NCSC), says injecting CO2 into oil reservoirs for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) has been practiced by PetroChina Jilin on a pilot scale since 2006, creating the co-benefit of enhancing oil production while reducing anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere.

China is already developing two other large-scale CCS facilities - the Sinopec Qilu Petrochemical CCS facility in Zibo (Shangdong Province), and the Yanchang CCS facility in Xi-an (Shaanxi Province). These facilities will capture 400,000 tonnes, and 410,000 tonnes of CO2 respectively.

CCS has been proven as essential to a net zero future by pre-eminent research and analysis including the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the International Energy Agency (IEA).

ends

Antonios Papaspiropoulos (Melbourne): +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith (Melbourne): +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 (0) 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

Lee Beck (Washington DC) +1 202-895-2792 lee.beck@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists of governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit: www.globalccsinstitute.com

PDF icon Media Release

Taskforce urges UK action to deliver CCUS and clean growth opportunities
Taskforce urges UK action to deliver CCUS and clean growth opportunities

19th July 2018 - London

A new report to the UK Government says carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCUS) has a key role to play in decarbonising the country and unlocking major economic, social and environmental benefits.

The report, Delivering Clean Growth: CCUS Cost Challenge Taskforce Report, makes a series of recommendations towards lowering the cost of CCUS deployment from the mid-2020s onwards.

The report responds to the UK Government’s commitments put forward in the Clean Growth Strategy to reach emission reduction targets through deployment of CCUS technology.

UK Minister of State for Energy and Clean Growth, the Rt Hon Claire Perry, says in the Report: “There is a genuine opportunity for the UK to become a global technology leader for CCUS, working internationally with industry and governments to drive down the cost of deployment.”

The report, resulting from extensive consultation between leading industry and academic experts, finds that widespread CCUS deployment will help to decarbonise the electricity, gas and industrial sectors, in addition to enabling the creation of new economies like hydrogen.

It recognises that CCUS will allow UK industries to remain competitive, retaining and creating high-value jobs at the same time as unleashing new industries and low carbon products.

It also finds that creating strategic industrial “hubs and clusters” for the first wave of CCUS projects will help drive CCUS costs down.

The report echoes recommendations given by the UK Committee on Climate Change on the pressing need to deploy CCUS at scale to achieve the 2050 targets with at least two CCUS clusters operational from the mid-2020s. It also follows a report by University College London (UCL) commissioned by the Global CCS Institute which made the case for CCS as a key part of an overall decarbonisation strategy.

In its recommendations, the Taskforce emphasises the urgency of investing in CCUS immediately given deployment timescales. This investment will give the UK the opportunity to become a global leader in this field.

The world authority on CCS, the Global CCS Institute, says the Report recognises the importance of CCUS as a unique technology in decarbonising industry and creating new energy economies.

Institute CEO and UK CCUS Council member, Brad Page, says the report represents an important step in providing clear guidance to the UK government with a defined strategic approach to CCUS development.

“The Report lays the foundation for the UK to move to a new energy economy with decarbonised heavy industry and fuels that complement renewable deployment. Early movement may also provide the UK with an opportunity to develop and market new technologies.”

The report and its recommendations will play an important role in the consolidation of the UK Government’s CCUS Deployment Pathway to be published by the end of 2018.

Later this year, the Global CCS Institute is partnering with the UK Government to host an international CCUS conference in Edinburgh (November 29).

CCUS and CCS are proven, safe technologies which have been operating successfully for more than 45 years. CCUS revenues have been instrumental to investment decisions made in China, the United States and the Middle East.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) has called CCS "the only technology solution capable of delivering significant emissions reductions from the use of fossil fuels in power generation and industrial processes.”

The UK CCUS Taskforce report can be downloaded here.

Ends

Antonios Papaspiropoulos: +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith: +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

Paris targets are “melting away” says climate change authority
Paris targets are “melting away” says climate change authority

18th June 2018 - Japan, Tokyo

Tokyo, embargoed to 9.00am (JST), Monday June 18, 2018: A senior executive of the world authority on carbon capture and storage (CCS) says it is increasingly obvious that Paris climate change targets are “melting away” and cannot be met within the timeframe agreed by 196 signatory countries.

Speaking at the Japan Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) Forum in Tokyo, the Global CCS Institute’s Jeff Erikson, said that the impending stock-take of global CO₂emissions and reduction policies taking place at COP24 in Poland this December will show that the world is way off track in meeting below 2°C temperatures by 2030.

Last year’s UN Environment Program Report* stated that national pledges may bring just one third of the reduction in emissions required by 2030.

Meanwhile, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) says CO₂ concentrations have reached the highest level in 800,000 years.

“The fact is, huge investment in fossil-fuel production continues at a frenetic pace and the world continues to heat up. As the world heats up, Paris targets melt away.

“Until the world realises that we need to apply every conceivable clean technology to this problem, it will not be solved.

“Independent, reputable analysis has repeatedly shown that CCS must be included in a broader mix of clean technologies.”

Mr Erikson told a packed audience of representatives from government, academia, science and industry, that CCS could make up lost ground if it is more widely embraced and its deployment rapidly accelerated.

“CCS is the only clean technology able to decarbonise many industrial processes and it is now being recognised as the conduit to a new energy economy that includes hydrogen.

“This technology creates jobs, preserves communities and builds nations.”

Mr Erikson said Japan realises the opportunities that lie ahead and he pointed to Japan’s Tomakomai CCS facility and the recently launched Hydrogen Energy Supply Chain (HESC), a Japanese/Australian joint venture, as proof of CCS’s potential.

He also referenced the recent announcement by US-based NET Power which has developed a revolutionary technology with Japan’s Toshiba Corporation to produce low-cost electricity from natural gas while generating near-zero atmospheric emissions, including full CO₂ capture.

“This is a breakthrough technology and is one of the most significant developments in CCS technology to date. It makes emission-free power cost competitive with conventional power generation.”

“The tide is turning in CCS’s favour but more needs to be done.”

*UNEP Emissions Gap Report eighth edition (October 2017)

ends

Antonios Papaspiropoulos: +61 401 944 478  antonios.papaspiropoulos@globalccsinstitute.com

Lucy Temple-Smith: +61 466 982 068  lucy.temple-smith@globalccsinstitute.com

Annya Schneider (Brussels): +32 (0) 25503972  annya.schneider@globalccsinstitute.com

About the Global CCS Institute: Our mission is to accelerate the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), a vital technology to tackle climate change and provide energy security. Working with and on behalf of our Members, we drive the adoption of CCS as quickly and cost effectively as possible by sharing expertise, building capacity and providing advice and support so that this vital technology can play its part in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Our diverse international membership consists of governments, global corporations, small companies, research bodies and nongovernment organisations, committed to CCS as an integral part of a low-carbon future. We are headquartered in Melbourne, Australia with regional offices in Washington DC, Brussels, Beijing and Tokyo. For more information, visit www.globalccsinstitute.com

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