Japan’s $5.2bn investment in carbon capture technology since 2014 has come under fire from environmental groups, which accuse the government of using public money to prolong fossil fuel use at home and across Southeast Asia.
A report by Oil Change International, a non-profit that focuses on “exposing the true costs of fossil fuels”, claims that Japan’s subsidies for carbon capture and storage are helping companies such as Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, JAPEX and Inpex expand their fossil fuel interests while exporting captured CO2 to countries including Malaysia and Australia.
According to Oil Change International, the Japanese government has committed $5.2bn in public funds to carbon capture and fossil hydrogen projects since 2014, with around $364m spent on the Tomakomai CCS Demonstration Project alone.
That facility captured about 100,000 tonnes of CO2 annually between 2016 and 2019, and the report estimates Japan would need up to 2,400 similar projects to meet its 2050 goal of capturing between 120 and 240 million tonnes each year.
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