Japanese businesses and environmental organizations on Wednesday urged the government of the country to accelerate the use of renewable energy sources and swiftly implement carbon pricing in order to combat global warming.
The message was released by the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI), a coalition of businesses, local governments, and NGOs, ahead of the G7 climate ministers’ conference in Sapporo, Japan, on April 15–16 to discuss initiatives to combat climate change. Japan will serve as the summit’s host country.
“We urged the Japanese government to overcome climate crisis and energy crisis by accelerating the introduction of renewable energy and early adoption of highly effective carbon pricing,” the JCI said in a statement that was endorsed by 303 organizations.
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Japan should take appropriate actions and implement regulatory reforms to boost renewable energy, it said, urging support for the quicker development of offshore wind power and mandatory installation of solar power generation in new buildings. The G7 last year set the goal of decarbonizing all or most of the power sector by 2035.
For the Asian country, which heavily depends on imports to meet the majority of its energy demands, notably for oil and LNG, a shift to sustainable energy is particularly crucial.
Japan aims to cut emissions by 46% versus 2013 levels by boosting renewable energy in its electricity mix to 36%-38%, double of 2019’s levels.
But its G7 allies such as Canada, Germany, the U.K., and Italy have already reached Japan’s 2030 targets, the JCI said.
Japan is introducing a carbon pricing scheme this fiscal year in stages, combining emissions trading and a carbon levy to encourage companies to curb pollution. But the levy will be introduced only from around the 2028/29 fiscal year.
Japan should introduce carbon pricing earlier and more effectively so that the companies’ efforts toward decarbonization are properly recognized internationally, JCI said.
Other climate groups have also expressed frustration with the government’s slow action on climate.
Story adapted from Reuters
