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2024 November 27 - December 3 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Japan given ‘Colossal Fossil’ award with its negative stance toward tackling climate crisis

In the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change in Baku, Azerbaijan, the Climate Action Network (CAN) on November 22 named developed countries, including Japan, the winners of the award for the biggest and baddest fossil, “Colossal Fossil”, Akahata reported on November 28.

Explaining the reason, the world’s largest network of environmental NGOs criticized these countries for unwilling to accept their historic responsibility for causing climate change and for “trying to escape their legal obligations to pay their fair share which is essential to meet the 1.5-degree target.”

Compared with other industrialized countries, Japan’s behavior particularly runs counter to global efforts to combat the climate crisis. At the COP29, the EU and 25 countries such as the U.K., Germany, and France set up an alliance of countries opposing the construction of new coal-fired power stations. However, among G7 members, Japan and the United States refused to join.

What Japan should do is to get rid of coal power generation without delay, discontinue its commitment to dangerous nuclear power generation, and instead promote energy-saving measures and the use of renewables. In addition, taking the responsibility of developed countries into account, Japan should review the current nationally determined contribution (NDC), a national plan to reduce GHG emissions, and should establish ambitious goals consistent with the 1.5 degree target which include cuts in CO2 emissions by 75-80% from the 2013 level by 2035.