Japan set a new target for greenhouse gas emissions that critics say will set back United Nations talks for a treaty limiting fossil fuel emissions. The new target effectively reverses course from the goal set four years ago by allowing a 3.1 per cent increase in emissions from 1990 levels rather than seeking a 25 per cent cut.
Japan set a new target for greenhouse gas emissions that critics say will set back United Nations talks for a treaty limiting fossil fuel emissions. The new target effectively reverses course from the goal set four years ago by allowing a 3.1 per cent increase in emissions from 1990 levels rather than seeking a 25 per cent cut.
Japan set a new target for greenhouse gas emissions that critics say will set back United Nations talks for a treaty limiting fossil fuel emissions.
The new target effectively reverses course from the goal set four years ago by allowing a 3.1 per cent increase in emissions from 1990 levels rather than seeking a 25 per cent cut.
"This move by Japan could have a devastating impact on the tone of discussion here in Warsaw," Naoyuki Yamagishi, an official at WWF Japan, said in a statement at climate talks in Poland in anticipation of Japan's decision "It could further accelerate the race to the bottom among other developed countries when the world needs decisive and immediate actions to 'raise' ambition, not to 'lower' …
... more [truncated due to possible copyright]Japan set a new target for greenhouse gas emissions that critics say will set back United Nations talks for a treaty limiting fossil fuel emissions.
The new target effectively reverses course from the goal set four years ago by allowing a 3.1 per cent increase in emissions from 1990 levels rather than seeking a 25 per cent cut.
"This move by Japan could have a devastating impact on the tone of discussion here in Warsaw," Naoyuki Yamagishi, an official at WWF Japan, said in a statement at climate talks in Poland in anticipation of Japan's decision "It could further accelerate the race to the bottom among other developed countries when the world needs decisive and immediate actions to 'raise' ambition, not to 'lower' ambition."
The new target, announced today by Minister of the Environment Nobuteru Ishihara in Tokyo, calls for Japan to cut emissions by 3.8 per cent by 2020 compared with 2005 levels. Ministry data shows Japan's production of greenhouse gases increased 7 per cent by 2005 compared with 1990, the baseline for the government's previous goal.
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The country's previous commitment, set in 2009, sought to reduce emissions 25 per cent by 2020 from 1990 levels. The new goal would represent a 3.1 per cent increase from 1990 if that year is used as the starting point, according to Bloomberg calculations.
China has singled out Japan and the European Union for their failures on action against carbon pollution.
Su Wei, China's lead climate negotiator at the UN talks in Warsaw on Friday, said prior to Ishihara's announcement that reports indicating Japan would scale back its ambitions were deeply concerning.
"I don't have any words to describe my dismay at that announcement forthcoming," Su told reporters in Warsaw on Thursday, speaking of the Japanese announcement.
Japan is at the heart of climate talks in Poland as the world's third-biggest economy and the host for negotiations in Kyoto in 1997 that resulted in the only treaty limiting emissions.
The new target is predicated on Japan not having any nuclear generating capacity, Ishihara told reporters in Tokyo.
Japan's 50 operating nuclear reactors are currently offline after the Fukushima Dai-Ichi plant disaster in March 2011 forced operators to carry out additional safety checks.
Utilities have switched to thermal power generation to fill the gap which increases carbon dioxide emissions because it relies on traditional fossil fuels such as coal and gas.
Read more: https://www.smh.com.au/environment/japan-sets-new-emissions-target-in-setback-to-un-treaty-talks-20131115-2xlzf.html#ixzz2kjvbrlbN