How should Information about CCS be Shared with the Japanese Public?

Abstract

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is regarded as an important mitigation option of climate change. However, the public discussion about CCS has not conducted, and an energy policy concerning the introduction of CCS to thermal power plants has not been decided in Japan. There are little social researches about the public recognition of the current situation about the energy portfolio and the public's informational needs. The objective of this study is to analyze the attitudes and perception of CCS and thermal power generation through internet questionnaire surveys, and to provide appropriate information to promote public understanding and decision-making for introducing CCS technology for thermal power plants. Results showed that respondents did not grasp an accurate perception of the present energy situation such as the current energy portfolio and the role of thermal power generation. On the other hand, their risk perception toward climate change tended to decrease over time. They were not interested in CCS and almost everyone had not formed an impression of CCS yet, but people thought that CCS technology is more useful in Japan than the rest of the world. Thus the current energy situation, the baseline information and major premise, has to be shared in order to understand the impacts of introducing CCS technology. The public needs scientific evidence and explanation of implications and impacts in order to make decisions concerning the introduction of this technology. It is essential to provide appropriate information to the public linked with high public interest topics in order to overcome the lack of interest in CCS and increase public perception of it's role in thermal power.