Author name: Codo Team

Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) encompasses a range of technologies for capturing carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions at their source—power plants, industrial facilities, and other major emitters—and either reusing the CO₂ or storing it so it does not enter the atmosphere. Although various forms of CO₂ capture have existed for decades, CCUS has gained renewed prominence as governments and industries strive to meet the increasingly stringent climate goals set under the Paris Agreement. This article begins by explaining CCUS, why it matters, and how it works in practice. It then explores several global case studies to illustrate CCUS’s real-world evolution and challenges. It concludes by examining Japan’s emerging CCUS strategy, weighing both the advantages and drawbacks of deploying CCUS at scale.

Japan is facing a dilemma. Fifteen years ago, when Japan was the world’s greatest proponent of safe nuclear energy, Japan led the world with increasingly ambitious emission reduction targets long before the Paris Climate Accords pushed countries to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Scarcely more than a year following that commitment, however, expansion of nuclear power, and with it Japan’s most viable carbon neutral energy source, was taken off the table. After years of various investments and fears of grid instability, Japan’s renewable mix is still flagging behind other developed nations.