Post by account_disabled on Feb 20, 2024 6:56:55 GMT
Suga Yoshihide, Japan's new prime minister, came to office in September promising continuity with his predecessor, Abe Shinzo. But in one aspect it has already distinguished itself: During his first speech as prime minister on October 26, he promised to reduce Japan's net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, ending Mr. Abe's lag on climate change. This brings Japan, the world's third largest economy and fifth largest emitter, with a relatively poor track record in reducing emissions, in line with the United Kingdom and the European Union and slightly ahead of China, which Last month he pledged zero emissions by 2060. Japan had previously promised to become carbon neutral by an unspecified date in the second half of the century. That inconsistency had confused bureaucrats and investors alike. The new goal is clearer, but Mr. Suga will have to prove that it is not just an empty promise. The government does not yet have a clear vision of how to achieve the goal, but this is one way to start the conversation. Kameyama Yasuko of the National Institute of Environmental Studies. There are reasons to be optimistic. At the time of Mr. Suga's speech, more than 160 local governments, representing 62% of the population, had already pledged zero emissions by 2050, up from four a year ago.
Many major Japanese companies, from consumer brands such as Sony and Panasonic to industrial companies such as Sumitomo Chemical, have adopted ambitious emissions targets. Even Keidanren, a powerful Europe Cell Phone Number List business lobby that is a stronghold of heavy industry, has started talking about decarbonization. Energy-intensive industries that oppose climate mitigation have become a minority. Kameyama Yasuko of the National Institute of Environmental Studies. Goals set by other countries appear to have influenced Mr. Suga. " It's a bit embarrassing for Japan to lag behind China ," says Sugiyama Masahiro of the University of Tokyo. Joe Biden has promised to make the United States carbon neutral by 2050 if he is elected president; Japanese officials do not want to fall behind a global consensus. (Two days after Mr. Suga's announcement, South Korea also pledged to be carbon neutral by 2050.) How to achieve it? The obvious first step is to raise renewable energy targets.
The government currently projects that between 22 and 24% of electricity will come from renewable sources in 2030, along with 20 and 22% from nuclear power, 26% from coal and 27% from natural gas. These benchmarks are established every three years by a committee convened by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (meti). Discussions on the next iteration began in October; They will conclude in the summer. The renewable energy target is supposed to skyrocket. In the past, they first developed energy policy, then thought about climate reduction policy; This time the order is reversed. Kameyama Yasuko of the National Institute of Environmental Studies. In the first half of the year, amid declining energy demand in the COVID-19 pandemic, Japan met the current 2030 target, generating 23% of its energy from renewable sources. Lobby groups want the target to be raised to 50%. Such a rapid change would require not only huge investments, but also changes in the rules to facilitate access to the network. Today's electric power companies will surely resist. The rest of the energy mix is the subject of a similar debate. In July, meti, typically a defender of fossil fuels, announced plans to close 100 inefficient coal plants by 2030. However, 17 new coal plants have yet to be built in the next five years.