Japan Press Weekly

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2007 December 12 - 18 [ENVIRONMENT]

Government plan fails to include concrete steps to achieve Kyoto Protocol goals

In a bid to contributing to achieving the Kyoto Protocol goals of preventing global warming, a Japanese government inter-agency deliberative panel on December 14 completed a draft report on a review of the country’s plan. But it lacks concrete measures to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by 2012 in line with the Protocol.

In Japan about 70 percent of greenhouse gases are emitted by corporations, but the proposal drafted by the panel made up of the Economic, Trade and Industry Ministry and the Environment Ministry does not include any concrete measures to be taken to control them.

While counting on the industrial sector’s voluntary action plans or on popular efforts, the draft report stops short of calling for emissions trading and an environment tax to be introduced.

The report will be finalized on December 21. The government will use it to decide on its new plan with additional measures.