Tokyo: Japan has joined Britain in pledging to become carbon neutral later this century, as the world races to prevent catastrophic climate change, but critics blasted Tokyo’s plan as unambitious. While Britain on Wednesday outlined plans for fast-track legislation that would reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, Japan’s policy only pledges to meet the goal sometime after the middle of the century. Both countries are among the nearly 200 nations that have signed up to the Paris climate agreement, which commits signatories to efforts to cap global warming at “well below” 2°C.
Japan’s policy, adopted by the cabinet on Tuesday, is expected to be submitted to the United Nations before the country hosts the G20 summit in Osaka later this month. It sets “a carbon-neutral society as the final goal, and seeks to realise it at the earliest possible time in the latter half of this century.” But while it says renewable energy—such as solar and wind—will become the mainstay of the country’s energy use, it adds coal-fired power plants will remain operational.
Climate activists say Tokyo is moving too slowly and its continued use of coal undermines its objectives. The plan “shows the Japanese government is not truly serious about mitigating climate change,” said Hanna Hakko, senior energy campaigner for Greenpeace Japan. “This is especially clear in the fact that there is no indication or timeline about phasing out coal.” “You simply can’t solve climate change while continuing to burn coal,” she said.
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