With the support of Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions (C2ES) and the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE) organized a roundtable in Washington, D.C. on February 13-14, 2019, to consider opportunities to strengthen international collaboration on carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) during Japan’s G20 Presidency. The roundtable included more than 60 participants from 11 countries, representing over 40 governments, companies, multilateral bodies, NGOs and other organizations.

In keynote remarks, Parliamentary Vice-Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Akimasa Ishikawa recalled Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s address in Davos, Switzerland, in which the Prime Minister highlighted the importance of disruptive innovation to address climate change, including technologies such as carbon recycling. Other keynote remarks at the roundtable were delivered by U.S. Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and U.S. Under Secretary of Energy Mark Menezes.

Participants expressed the strong view that this year’s G20 presents an important opportunity to strengthen awareness of the climate and other benefits of CCUS technologies and to initiate new actions by the G20 and by Member countries, building on existing initiatives and partnerships, to advance the development and deployment of these critical technologies.

Based on these roundtable discussions, C2ES and RITE offer the following recommendations for consideration at the energy and environment Ministerial meeting on June 15-16, 2019, in Karuizawa, Japan, and at the G20 Summit on June 28-29, 2019, in Osaka, Japan.

Background paper: Strengthening International Collaboration on Carbon Capture Storage and Use