It's time for Japan to fulfill its international responsibility to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions

Japan Press Weekly

Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

It's time for Japan to fulfill its international responsibility to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions
Akahata editorial

The government has finally begun to move to set Japan's mid-term goal of greenhouse gas emissions cuts to be achieved by 2020. A government panel on global warming will examine six plans aimed at cutting emissions by 7-25 percent from the 1990 level and establishing Japan's goal by June.

A call for more emissions?

A new post-Kyoto Protocol framework that would go into effect in 2013 to effectively cut greenhouse gas emissions will be established in December at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP-15).

The new treaty will set the target of cutting emissions by 25-40 percent as proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Participation of the developed countries is indispensable for adopting the new framework. In this respect, the major countries are called upon to fulfill their responsibility for deep cuts.

The European Union has agreed to a 20 percent cut from the 1990 level and a 30 percent cut if other developed countries agree with a sharp emissions reduction. U.S. President Obama has changed the former administration's stance and set a target of reducing gas emissions to the 1990 level.

Japan is the only major developed country to delay the setting of a new mid-term goal. Its attitude is tantamount to testing other nations' moves before making its own decision, a sheer lack of independent position essential for a developed country.

What is more, only one out of the six scenarios set forth by the government panel fulfills the IPCC's proposal. Some even call for an increase in emissions.

In fact, the government does little to give priority to the effort to prevent global warming and focuses on efforts to curb Japan's economic costs for combating climate change. Global warming is causing disastrous consequences to Japan and the rest of the world. It is impossible for Japan to make progress on this issue if it continues to be concerned only with the economic costs for emission cuts.

An Environment Ministry panel of experts pointed out in its proposal published on February 10 that it is outdated to think that combating climate change would place a heavier economic burden on Japan.

The internationally-renowned British government's Stern Review released in 2006 estimates the cost needed 'for stabilizing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." It discusses how to shift to a low-carbon economy. On that basis, the report concludes that the benefits from concrete and immediate efforts to combat climate change will far exceed the costs.

What the Japanese government has in mind is very different from the direction put forward by the British report.

Thus, it is necessary to radically change the direction of the Japanese government's discussion. In order to minimize damage from global warming, the effort to keep a rise in temperature within two degrees Celsius must be defined as top priority. Based on this, the Japanese Communist Party is calling for Japan to set the goal of a 30 percent emission cut.

Amend Japan's business-first mind!

Japan is expected to fall short of achieving the goal to reduce gas emissions by 6 percent from the 1990 level by 2012 as obliged by the Kyoto Protocol.

In setting medium-term goals, the approach that gives first place to cutbacks in economic costs and only sums up the amount of emission cuts, which are currently capable of being cut, should not be taken.

Towards a low-carbon society and fulfill international responsibility, it is necessary to explore ways to achieve the goals by making dramatic changes in the Japanese government's policy, including by such means as an official agreement with large corporations to cut emissions and a strong effort to promote renewable energy sources.

- Akahata, February 15, 2009