Japan stakes its future on climate innovation, such as clean hydrogen, to help Asia become greener

A man pumping in hydrogen into a fuel cell car in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka, Japan. - ST

TOKYO: From turning recycled clothing into biofuel for cars, to using disposable diapers as a substitute for sand to make concrete, to vending machines that suck carbon dioxide from the air, Japan’s private sector is not short of innovation to reduce its carbon footprint and that of the Asian region.

The government, for its part, is betting on clean hydrogen, although its nascent technology and low economies of scale mean the cost from production to distribution is said to be 10 times higher than that of natural gas.