Page 9 - AsiaElec Week 21 2021

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Japan holds back G7 commitment

to ending coal funding

JAPAN JAPAN has managed to water down the G7’s an absolute end to new direct government sup-
commitment to phasing out coal, with Japanese port for unabated international thermal coal
media saying that the grouping’s recent meeting power generation by the end of 2021, includ-
of environment ministers had stopped short of ing through Official Development Assistance,
calling for the total abandonment of coal-fired export finance, investment, and financial and
power generation. trade promotion support,” the ministers said in
“Japan has won (the G-7’s) understanding of a communique issued after their two-day online
its policy,” an official of the Ministry of Economy, meeting.
Trade and Industry (METI) told Kyodo. “Recognising that coal power generation is
“We understand that there is no need for us the single biggest cause of global temperature
to review ongoing coal-fired power generation increases, we commit now to rapidly scale up
projects (overseas).” technologies and policies that further accelerate
The G7 said in its statement that it would the transition away from unabated coal capacity
phase out new direct government support for and to an overwhelmingly decarbonised power
carbon-intensive international fossil fuel energy, system in the 2030s,” the communique said.
except “in limited circumstances at the discre- Phasing out government support for the
tion of each country”, wording that leaves room funding of fossil fuels is regarded as essential
for Japan to continue its energy policy featuring to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C
highly efficient coal-fired power generation. above pre-industrial levels, the target called for
G7 environment ministers agreed last week by the UN.
to take concrete steps by the end of the year to Japan’s reliance on coal-fired power stems
stop government funding for international coal- partly from the 2011 Fukushima crisis that led
fired power generation as part of efforts to curb many of its nuclear plants to suspend operations
global warming. for safety checks.
The UK, currently the G7 president, has pro- The UK said that it hoped Japan would “
posed phasing out the use of coal-fired power bend further on this” by the time of UN climate
generation. Japan, on the other hand, exports change talks it will host in Glasgow in November.
highly efficient coal-fired power plants to devel- While Japan is still a funder of coal-fired
oping countries. power generation, China could be waiting to
“(We) commit to take concrete steps towards replace Japan if Tokyo halted coal financing.™

Week 21 26•May•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P9