One of the youngest politicians in Japan and Japan's Minister of Environment, Shinjiro Koizumi, struggles to reduce carbon emission. (Image via The Straits Times)

Japan to reduce only a little greenhouse gas despite criticism

Alfonsus Adi Putra
Business & Industry
Environmental Energy & Material
Nov 22, 2019
2024
It is revealed that the Japanese government is more likely to maintain its greenhouse gas emission reduction goal rather than adding the goal despite the criticisms from the environmentalists for Japan to act more.

Japan, as one of the developed countries in the world, is urged to do more to tackle extreme climate change. Especially, since 2015, the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, has adapted the Paris Agreement for Japan’s new emission reduction goal, succeeding the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.

The Paris Agreement, signed in 2016, aims to keep the global temperature “well below” 2°C to prevent further climate change that leads to natural disasters around the world.

By 2026, the Japanese government is close to submitting its plan to only reduce 26 percent from its 2013 emission level; it will be announced by Japan’s Minister of Environment, Shinjiro Koizumi, in December at the 25th session of the Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, COP25, in Spain.

To achieve the goal, Japan is struggling to restart its nuclear power plant. Nuclear power produces almost no emission. However, the safety standards are put into question after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear power plant meltdown.

It is estimated that the nuclear power plant might help 20 percent of the 22 percent of the total electricity output until 2031. However, the power companies in Japan are still lingering on fossil fuels.

On the other hand, the United States (U.S) is set to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, claiming it unfair. Koizumi stated his disappointment toward the U.S action.

Source: https://bit.ly/35tnxiP

Environment , Preservation , Asia , Japan , Shinjiro-Koizumi , Paris-Agreement , Carbon-Emission