COP28: ‘Realism’ Pushes Major Countries Towards ‘Carbon Capture and Storage’

COP28: ‘Realism’ Pushes Major Countries Towards ‘Carbon Capture and Storage’

Several major countries said at the UN Climate Change Summit (COP28) in Dubai that they were moving to use carbon "capture" or "storage" technologies, which were considered realistic solutions to confront climate change.

Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged it would stop building new coal power plants that do not have emission reduction measures in place.

"In line with its pathway to net-zero, Japan will end new construction of domestic unabated coal power plants while securing a stable energy supply," Kishida said.

- Emission reduction

Japan, which relies heavily on importing coal and other traditional fuels, seeks to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Kishida stated that Japan has already reduced emissions by 20 percent and is progressing towards lowering the target of 46 percent by 2030 compared to 2013.

To reduce emissions, Japan seeks to use hydrogen and ammonia to produce energy alongside gas and coal in existing power plants, but experts have a different view.

Japan relies heavily on imported traditional fuels, especially natural gas, which represents about 40 percent of its electricity generation, and coal, which represents about 30 percent.

- ExxonMobil rejects IEA's criticism

ExxonMobil CEO Darren Woods rejected the International Energy Agency's (IEA) recent claim that using wide-scale carbon capture to fight climate change was