In this event, we discussed “What innovation do we need to achieve CO2 Net Zero Emissions?” based on the discussions and insight provided in the ICEF (※) annual meeting. The unprecedented roadmap on Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide developed by ICEF was also presented.

※ICEF (Innovation for Cool Earth Forum)　https://www.icef-forum.org/
Since 2014, every year the Government of Japan has hosted the Innovation for Cool Earth Forum (ICEF), gathering international leading figures tackling climate change through technological innovation in Tokyo, Japan. The forum was established on the initiative of Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. It is hosted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), Japan.

Mr. Sandalow, Inaugural Fellow, Center of Global Energy Policy, Columbia University and Dr. Friedmann, Senior Research Scholar, Center of Global Energy Policy, Columbia University presented the roadmap “Direct Air Capture of Carbon Dioxide (DAC) ” . DAC is one of the carbon dioxide removal technologies (CDRs) and expected as one of the climate change mitigation measures that can directly reduce atmospheric CO2. Although it has already been put to practical use in spacecraft and submarine, the challenges are that in the process of recovering, separating and concentrating thin CO2 in the atmosphere, the existing technology costs high and there is a certain amount of CO2 emissions due to the use of much electricity and heat. In order to put the DAC into practical use as a countermeasure against climate change, it is necessary to conduct research and development such as high performance air contactor and CO2 recovery material, life cycle CO2 assessment method during manufacturing and operation, and to provide policy support for creating market such as DAC equipment.
In the panel discussion, Ms. Korhola, Former EU Parliament Member, Dr. Krey, Deputy Program Director Energy International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Ms. Takeuchi, Board of Directors Member International Environment and Economy Institute, and Dr. Friedmann discussed “ What innovation do we need to achieve CO2 Net Zero Emissions ”. It waspointed out that it is necessary to consider policies to promote corporate investment, and business model changes from a broad perspective including mobility as a service (MaaS) and digitization in order to introduce and disseminate innovation technologies.