November 23, 2008
Akahata editorial
A United Nations conference to discuss the prevention of global warming (COP-14) will open on December 1 in Poznan, Poland. The conference is devoted to work on a new framework that will follow the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012. The new framework is to be finalized at COP-15 scheduled for the end of 2009.
A series of recently published statistics show that Japan is distancing itself from the goal set by the Kyoto Protocol and going against the world current. We must press the government to immediately change its attitude and act to fulfill its international responsibility in the urgent global task.
Emissions are worst ever
The Kyoto Protocol requires Japan to reduce the amounts of its greenhouse gas emissions by six percent by 2012 from the 1990 level. However, the Environment Ministry’s provisional data for FY 2007 shows that emissions increased by 8.7 percent from FY 1990, the worst ever record.
In dealing with the industrial sector’s emissions, which account for 80 percent of total gas emissions, the government has left the task to business circle’s voluntary efforts. The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) has set forth the business sector’s voluntary goal for controlling emissions below the 1990 level, which is far from what is called for.
Under Keidanren’s voluntary reduction plan for FY 2007, emissions at factories and power plants of 34 business sectors in the industrial and energy conversion sectors increased 1.3 percent from FY 1990. This shows clearly that leaving the task to business circles’ “voluntary efforts” are uncertain even to achieve the insufficient goal they have set.
The major factor in the increase in emissions is the government’s power generation policy of depending on nuclear power. Nuclear power generation accounts for 88 percent of the emission increase in FY 2007. The rate of operation of nuclear power plants has fallen due to natural disasters and accidents, making it necessary to depend on thermal-power generation using coal as fuel. The pressing task is to drastically change the energy policy into one of a full-scale application of renewable sources of energy.
According to the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, greenhouse gas emissions in 40 industrial countries in 2006 declined 4.7 percent from 1990. Emissions increased by three percent in Japan and 14.4 percent in the United States. In contrast, Germany, Britain, and France reduced their emissions by, respectively, 18.2 percent, 15.1 percent, and 3.5 percent.
In these European countries, the governments have set ambitious goals and concluded agreements with the business sector to effectively reduce gas emissions. They also made arrangements on emissions trading and introduction of environmental taxes, and made efforts to increase the application of renewable energy sources. These efforts have resulted in the reduction.
The Japanese government has not yet proposed an interim goal for the agreement to follow the Kyoto Protocol. It suggested that it would not take part in the new agreement if the United States does not.
Changes in talks are likely
Approaches to COP-14 talks are likely to change.
In the United States, which quit the Kyoto Protocol and resisted the call for reduction of gas emissions, President-elect Barack Obama has stated that he would take the initiative in coping with the issue of global warming. He also stated that emissions should be reduced to the 1990 level by 2020 as an interim goal and that it should be further reduced by 80 percent by 2050 as a long-term goal. He stated that high annual goals should be put forward, and has proposed a change in the energy policy and establishing a system of emissions trading in which a maximum should be set on the amount in which a nation can trade its right to produce emissions.
Clearly, Japan has to play its role in contributing to formulating the necessary international framework and putting it into practice. The task now is for the government to take far-reaching action for Japan to fulfill its responsibility under the Kyoto Protocol.
A United Nations conference to discuss the prevention of global warming (COP-14) will open on December 1 in Poznan, Poland. The conference is devoted to work on a new framework that will follow the Kyoto Protocol that expires in 2012. The new framework is to be finalized at COP-15 scheduled for the end of 2009.
A series of recently published statistics show that Japan is distancing itself from the goal set by the Kyoto Protocol and going against the world current. We must press the government to immediately change its attitude and act to fulfill its international responsibility in the urgent global task.
Emissions are worst ever
The Kyoto Protocol requires Japan to reduce the amounts of its greenhouse gas emissions by six percent by 2012 from the 1990 level. However, the Environment Ministry’s provisional data for FY 2007 shows that emissions increased by 8.7 percent from FY 1990, the worst ever record.
In dealing with the industrial sector’s emissions, which account for 80 percent of total gas emissions, the government has left the task to business circle’s voluntary efforts. The Japan Business Federation (Nippon Keidanren) has set forth the business sector’s voluntary goal for controlling emissions below the 1990 level, which is far from what is called for.
Under Keidanren’s voluntary reduction plan for FY 2007, emissions at factories and power plants of 34 business sectors in the industrial and energy conversion sectors increased 1.3 percent from FY 1990. This shows clearly that leaving the task to business circles’ “voluntary efforts” are uncertain even to achieve the insufficient goal they have set.
The major factor in the increase in emissions is the government’s power generation policy of depending on nuclear power. Nuclear power generation accounts for 88 percent of the emission increase in FY 2007. The rate of operation of nuclear power plants has fallen due to natural disasters and accidents, making it necessary to depend on thermal-power generation using coal as fuel. The pressing task is to drastically change the energy policy into one of a full-scale application of renewable sources of energy.
According to the U.N. Climate Change Secretariat, greenhouse gas emissions in 40 industrial countries in 2006 declined 4.7 percent from 1990. Emissions increased by three percent in Japan and 14.4 percent in the United States. In contrast, Germany, Britain, and France reduced their emissions by, respectively, 18.2 percent, 15.1 percent, and 3.5 percent.
In these European countries, the governments have set ambitious goals and concluded agreements with the business sector to effectively reduce gas emissions. They also made arrangements on emissions trading and introduction of environmental taxes, and made efforts to increase the application of renewable energy sources. These efforts have resulted in the reduction.
The Japanese government has not yet proposed an interim goal for the agreement to follow the Kyoto Protocol. It suggested that it would not take part in the new agreement if the United States does not.
Changes in talks are likely
Approaches to COP-14 talks are likely to change.
In the United States, which quit the Kyoto Protocol and resisted the call for reduction of gas emissions, President-elect Barack Obama has stated that he would take the initiative in coping with the issue of global warming. He also stated that emissions should be reduced to the 1990 level by 2020 as an interim goal and that it should be further reduced by 80 percent by 2050 as a long-term goal. He stated that high annual goals should be put forward, and has proposed a change in the energy policy and establishing a system of emissions trading in which a maximum should be set on the amount in which a nation can trade its right to produce emissions.
Clearly, Japan has to play its role in contributing to formulating the necessary international framework and putting it into practice. The task now is for the government to take far-reaching action for Japan to fulfill its responsibility under the Kyoto Protocol.
