, utilisation and storage technology in Asia

5 October Tokyo, Japan – Experts from across the globe will take part in a virtual Forum on Tuesday October 6 that will highlight the critical need for carbon capture utilisation and storage (CCS/CCUS) technologies, demonstrate their versatility, discuss progress and the outlook for future CCS/CCUS deployment in Japan, and across Asia.

Co-hosted by the Global CCS Institute, an international think tank whose mission it is to accelerate the deployment of CCS globally, and Japan CCS Co. Ltd., the Japan-Asia CCUS Forum 2020 will focus attention on CCS/CCUS as essential for Japan, and the region’s, clean energy transition.    

Speaking from Melbourne, Mr Brad Page, CEO of the Global CCS Institute, said:

“Delivering on ambitious global climate change targets requires urgent action to prevent carbon dioxide from entering the atmosphere and achieve negative emissions. CCS/CCUS technologies are vital to reduce emissions to net-zero by mid-century and achieve global climate targets”.

“Multiple independent and credible bodies have concluded that to achieve global climate change targets in the time frame required, CCS/CCUS is essential and is the only likely solution for hard to decarbonise industries such as steel, cement and fertiliser manufacturing”.

“The versatility of CCS to deliver deep emissions reductions across the power, industrial and transportation sectors, as well as presenting an enormous opportunity for the creation of a new low emissions economy, is a great strength of the technology”.

“In addition, and of particular interest in Japan, is that CCS/CCUS enables the production of low-emissions hydrogen. This presents an enormous opportunity to support the development of a new energy economy that creates jobs and sustains communities”, said Mr Page.

Delegates of the Forum will hear of the outcomes and learnings from key CCS/CCUS research and development initiatives such as the Tomakomai CCS Demonstration Project; successfully conducted by our Forum co-host Japan CCS Co. Ltd. under the direction of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Japan (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Development Organization (NEDO) and significant R&D project led by Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE).

The outlook for future deployment of CCS/CCUS in Japan and Asia will also be a focus, as well as capacity building for the technology across the region. A range of international speakers will share their insights on CCS/CCUS with a view towards knowledge sharing and international cooperation.

The Forum will be supported Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) and the Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE).

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Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI) Statement
On the Tampakan LGU terminating contract with Sagittarius Mining Incorporated

17 August 2020
Commending the Local Government of Tampakan for taking a bold step for
the general welfare of Tampakan communities and ecology
The Philippine Misereor Partnership, Inc. (PMPI), a network of 250 Peoples’
Organizations, Non-Government Organizations, and Social Action Centers across the Philippines working for the protection of the rights of the environment, peace and human rights, climate change, and sustainable agriculture, commends the Municipal Government of Tampakan for taking a bold stand against the Sagittarius Mining Incorporated (SMI), a conglomeration of big businesses in the Philippine headed by the IndoPhil Group and SouthCot Mining Corporation.
This effort by the Municipal Government of Tampakan in the passage of Resolution No. 435 “Terminating the 2009 Municipal Principal Agreement” is a sign of hope not only for the livelihood and welfare of the local peoples of South Cotabato, Sarangani, Sultan Kudarat and Davao del Sur, not only for the Blaans protecting the integrity of their ancestral domains, but also importantly for the region’s biodiversity, forests, agricultural lands, fisheries, and watersheds where all life emanate and where
the survival of all living beings depended on.
PMPI believes that the passage of Resolution 435 sheds truth on the much debated, often maligned power of LGUs in asserting their autonomy and deciding on their development goals ensuring the general welfare of its people.
This action by the Municipal Government of Tampakan gives courage and hope to LGU’s in similar situations, such as the Province of Marinduque that is currently confronted with legal protest from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for its local legislation against mining.
It is also a victory and vindication for other LGUs standing path for their land and life for so long, such as the Provincial Government of Nueva Viscaya against OceanaGold Philippines, Inc. and the Mines and Geoscience Bureau, and the City of Zamboanga for demanding accountability from Atro Mining Vitali, Inc.
We are hoping that this bold action by the Municipality of Tampakan will serve as a catalyst towards the legislation of an ordinance that shall not only uphold and protect the rights of its people, but also the protection and recognition of nature’s rights.
In a time where health pandemic becomes very much a product of our disregard and violation of the spaces and life support of other creatures in our forest and wilds, local government plays a big role in ensuring ultimately that the health of its people and the environment are safe, secured and sustained.
We expect strong disagreement and backlash from the mining company as well as its allies in the Department of Environment and Natural Resources towards this action. But we shall continue to support local environmental defenders towards the end. We will stand in solidarity with them.
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Waste-to-Energy Incineration bad decision for PH, experts and scientists warn

Experts and scientists warned that the country will be heading to a more catastrophic situation if waste incineration is legalized. In an online forum organized by Green Thumb Coalition on Wednesday, local and foreign experts-scientists laid down causal effects of waste incineration on health, climate and agriculture.

Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, who co-authored the World Health Organization’s guidebook on health care waste, said that the problem with trash burning is that it releases dioxins and furans however advance the technology and there are no safe limits when we are dealing with these toxic and hazardous pollutants. Dr. Jorge Emmanuel is also an adjunct professor in Silliman University and former chief technical advisor on global environment projects of the United Nations Development Program and leader of a UN team that helped contain the spread of Ebola virus in Africa.

In his presentation, Dr. Emmanuel pointed out that a single drop of dioxin is enough to contaminate a medium sized lake and its inhabitants. Over a long period, this toxin could be passed on to humans by eating fish, eggs, pork, poultry and other meats that have accumulated dioxins. “Dioxins stay in our environment for hundreds of years and cause serious illnesses including cancer, birth defects and reproductive disorders among people exposed to it,” he said.

Waste incineration is also a major carbon emitter. Lee Bell, POPs and Mercury Policy Advisor for the International Pollution Elimination Network (IPEN)  highlighted  a recent study by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), which shows incineration of plastic waste generates large quantities of carbon and carbon equivalent (CO2e) emissions. Waste incinerators, driven by high carbon content plastics and organic waste streams, currently release an average of around 1 ton of CO2 for every ton of waste incinerated.

“368 million tons of waste are incinerated globally per year equating to annual emissions of around 368 million tons of CO2. That’s a huge amount of greenhouse gases added annually into our atmosphere,” Bell said during his presentation.

As the climate crisis continues to worsen, access to food by Filipinos especially the poor and vulnerable sectors will be severely affected as well. This chain of reaction from incineration to health and climate and then onto our food production systems will reduce harvests, affect the quality of agricultural produce and increase its costs by as high as 25% in the next two decades according to Dr. Vicky Espaldon, a professor at the UP School of Environmental Science and Management and an awardee of the National Academy of Science and Technology for a book she has written.”An increase of 1˚C leads to about 8-14% decrease in rice yield during the dry season,” Dr. Espaldon said citing the study conducted by Lansigan et al., in 2007.

“Tread carefully as impacts are serious and it [WTE] is a huge investment, it is better to invest in making sure that RA 9003 provisions are successfully implemented,” she added.

As the forum drew to a close, Green Thumb Coalition convenor Jaybee Garganera vowed to echo these scientific evidences to legislators who are currently deliberating the passage of a bill that would allow waste incineration in the country. “The science and robustness of evidence we have gathered will complement our collective experiences on the ground to engage our senators like Gatachalian, Tolentino and Binay and make them understand the profound negative economic and health impacts of their policy actions such as the waste-to-energy law,” Garganera said.

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