Photo/Illutration A ceremony marking the Fossil of the Day awards during the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) on Dec. 3 in Dubai (Takahiro Takenouchi)

DUBAI--Japan received an award at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) here on Dec. 3, but it's not an "honor" that the country will be taking a bow over. 

The environmental nonprofit Climate Action Network (CAN) selected Japan as the Fossil of the Day, a title conferred on countries that are backward-looking in their efforts to combat global warming. 

The organization said that Japan’s obsession with fossil fuels was transparent and certified Japanese tactics are a sham environmental “greenwashing.”

Hiroki Osada of FoE Japan, an environmental nonprofit, who accepted the award of shame on behalf of Japan, said, “Japan is lagging far behind the rest of the world. Japan should be a country that can take the lead in Asia in promoting renewable energy. I hope that Japan will change its policies as soon as possible.”

Other recipients were New Zealand, which is increasingly returning to fossil fuels, and the United States, which is contributing less to the climate-related loss and damages fund established to assist developing countries.

The Fossil of the Day award is announced almost daily during the COP28 conference. The ones announced on Dec. 3 were the first during the current conference.

It was the fourth consecutive time for Japan to receive the award.

The Japanese government is promoting the reduction of emissions from thermal power generation through a method in which ammonia and hydrogen are mixed with coal or gas to generate electricity, as they do not emit carbon dioxide when burned.

However, there are many uncertainties about the effectiveness of reductions, costs and fuel procurement through the method.

The CAN said in a statement released on its website about such initiatives, “They want to appear greener than green” and “claim to ‘contribute to global decarbonization.’”

“But we see straight through their attempts to extend the life of coal and gas domestically and throughout Asia,” the statement said.

In his speech at the conference, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Dec. 1 announced that Japan is leading decarbonization efforts in Asia through the Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC).

But the CAN said, “This push to lock in fossil fuel-based energy across the continent is delaying the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, adding hurdles to achieving the global goal of tripling renewables.”

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