Page 5 - AsiaElec Week 13

AsiaElec COMMENTARY AsiaElec
Japan to the Paris climate goals requires signif- icantly higher emission reduction rates,” read a statement from Climate Action Tracker, a Ber- lin-based research institute that tracks govern- ments’ commitments to the Paris Agreement.
“The uninspired plan does not grasp either the seriousness of climate impacts for Japan nor the significant economic opportunities available by pursuing a low-carbon future,” said the World Resources Institute’s Noëmie Leprince-Ringuet.
Japan and coal
Japan is a major importer of fossil fuels, and imported coal and gas are set to maintain their role in the energy mix, despite Tokyo’s backing for the expansion of renewable energy and inno- vative technologies such as hydrogen fuel.
The country is the world’s fifth-largest GHG emitter, and has 22 coal power plants at various stages of development and construction. There are 11.9GW of coal capacity under develop- ment, according to data from Global Energy Monitor (GEM) in the recently released Boom and Bust 2020 report from GEM, Greenpeace International, the Sierra Club, and the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air.
Japan is also a major exporter of coal tech- nology and funder of coal power plants, with the country financially supporting 24.7GW of coal development abroad.
This is concentrated in Southeast Asia, where coal power plant development continues apace, despite the withdrawal of Western banks, inves- tors and development finance institutes (DFIs).
On the other hand, the IPCC has warned that limiting global warming to 1.5°C will require global coal use in electricity generation to fall by 80% between 2010 and 2030. This means one coal plant needs to retire every day until 2040,
while commitment to new coal power plants must stop.
Emissions politics
Japan’s 2018 National Strategy Energy Plan calls for renewables to account for 22-24% of the energy mix by 2030, although fossil fuels would still then contribute 56%.
Japan is promoting renewables, and has a powerful green lobby supported by Environ- ment Minister Koizumi. The country is now developing offshore wind after a slow start, although it is still way behind regional competi- tors such as Taiwan and South Korea.
However, on a policy level Japan is still affected by the 2011 Fukushima disaster, which knocked out much of its nuclear capacity. This is now slowly coming back online, but the govern- ment has relied, and seemingly will continue to rely, on fossil fuels to fill holes left by shuttered nuclear capacity.
As such, Tokyo’s energy policy is a mix of renewables and fossil fuels. This is holding back its global commitments to reducing emissions.
There is still time left for Tokyo to make stronger commitments to exploiting green energy and making use of its technological capabilities, but complex political and economic forces are holding back the government.
Japan said in this week’s submission to the UN that it was committed to achieving a “decar- bonised society” by 2050 by using what the government’s statement called “disruptive inno- vations,” such as artificial photosynthesis, carbon capture, utilisation and storage (CCUS) and by developing hydrogen fuel.
Yet it must commit to increasing its reduc- tions if it is to keep pace with industrialised nations. ™
Week 13 01•April•2020 w w w . N E W S B A S E . c o m P5