A Preliminary Investigation of Taiwanese Citizens Awareness and Understainding of CCS

Carbon capture and storage technology (CCS) constitutes a vital means for combating climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emissions at the lowest possible cost. Taiwan has the proper geological conditions for carbon dioxide sequestration; promoting CCS technology will help Taiwan to achieve its national carbon reduction goals, contribute to the maintenance of a reliable supply of energy, and support the development of emerging industries. Adopting CCS technology is a necessary for Taiwan to build a low-carbon industrial development environment and create a sustainable, low-carbon society. According to other countries’ experience with CCS projects and the implementation of major construction projects within Taiwan, public acceptance is a decisive factor that determines whether or not large-scale projects can proceed smoothly.

The understanding and support for CCS technology among the general public is a sensitive issue because of the inherent risks that accompany the technology. Both popular understanding of CCS, and support for the technology, can be strongly affected by a wide range of developments in the wider international community, by breakthroughs in energy technology development, by the adjustment of energy policy and greenhouse gas reduction strategies, by unexpected events within society and by political activity, etc. In order to gain a better understanding of how acceptable the adoption of CCS technology is to ordinary people in Taiwan, for the present study a telephone survey was conducted in Taiwan. We also held Small-scale discussion meetings to gain a more in-depth understanding of Taiwanese citizens’ feelings about global warming and climate change and the key issues that they were most concerned about with respect to CCS technology. The results obtained were synthesized to develop recommendation for ensuring effective communication with the general public when implementing CCS in the future.