Photo/Illutration An agreement is reached at the U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow on Nov. 13. (Keisuke Katori)

Japan’s future energy plans are facing renewed international scrutiny following the U.N. Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, which closed with an agreement to “phase down” unabated coal power.

COP26 ended on Nov. 13 with the adoption of the Glasgow Climate Pact, which set a target of limiting the increase in the global average temperature to 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels.

The agreement introduces goals for a phasedown of unabated coal power and the phasing out of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

But the summary of negotiations at COP26 released by the Japanese government made no reference to the phasedown of coal power, an energy source the country still relies on in its supply mix.

“Japan needs to clarify its intention to shift away from coal,” said Masayoshi Iyoda, a member of the environmental nongovernmental organization Kiko Network, who attended COP26. “Otherwise, the county will again face criticism at next year’s COP27."

Many emerging economies and developing nations rely heavily on coal, a comparatively cheap source of energy. Earlier draft proposals at COP26 used the term “phase out,” but that was watered down to “phase down” following opposition from India and China.

Progress in measures against global warming depends on how quickly major emitters of greenhouse gases can move away from coal toward renewable energy.

The Japanese government has said it plans to continue using coal power and gradually replace it with ammonia, which does not emit carbon dioxide (CO2) when burned, to eventually reduce its greenhouse gas emissions to zero.

But it remains unclear when the country can carry out the plan due to its technological challenges and high costs.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida came under fire from environmentalists for endorsing the use of ammonia thermal power to support Asia’s power needs during his Nov. 2 speech at COP26.

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