REUTERS
April 12, 2023 at 17:10 JST
A child raises a placard as he takes part in a global climate protest next to the United Nations University in Tokyo September 23, 2022. (REUTERS)
Japanese companies and climate groups called on the nation's government on Wednesday to step up the introduction of renewable energy and quickly adopt carbon pricing to tackle global warming.
The Japan Climate Initiative (JCI), an alliance of companies, local governments and NGOs, issued the message ahead of the meeting of climate ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) countries on April 15-16 in Sapporo, Japan, to discuss efforts to address climate change.
“We urged the Japanese government to overcome climate crisis and energy crisis by accelerating the introduction of renewable energy and early adoption of highly effective carbon pricing,” the JCI said in a statement which was endorsed by 303 organizations.
To achieve a goal which was agreed by G7 last year to decarbonize all or most of the power sector by 2035, Japan should take appropriate measures and implement regulatory reforms to boost renewable energy, it said, urging support for the faster development of offshore wind power and mandatory installation of solar power generation in new buildings.
A transition to clean energy is especially important to the Asian nation, the world's third-biggest economy, as it is critically dependent on imports for a majority of its energy needs, including for oil to LNG.
Japan aims to cut emissions by 46% versus 2013 levels by boosting renewable energy in its electricity mix to 36%-38%, double of 2019's levels.
But its G7 allies such as Canada, Germany, U.K. and Italy have already reached Japan's 2030 targets, and renewables are expected to account for the majority of electricity supply in the United States and the four nations by 2035, the JCI said.
Japan is introducing a carbon pricing scheme this fiscal year in stages, combining emissions trading and a carbon levy to encourage companies to curb pollution. But the levy will be introduced only from around the 2028/29 fiscal year on fossil fuel importers.
Japan should introduce carbon pricing earlier and more effectively so that the companies' efforts toward decarbonization are properly recognized internationally, JCI said.
It also called for a reduction of dependence on fossil fuels, such as coal-fired power.
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