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)

The 28th Conference of the Parties (COP28) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change concluded with the adoption of an outcome document calling for “transitioning away from fossil fuels.”

While the agreement does not go so far as to seek a “phase-out” of fossil fuels, it still bears significant importance for the global challenge of protecting the health of the planet.

Japan must step up its own efforts to move toward a carbon-free society.

At the U.N.-sponsored climate conference in Dubai, the actions taken under the 2015 Paris climate agreement were reviewed.

It was pointed out that the average global temperature has already risen to 1.1 degrees above pre-industrial levels and that with current reduction targets for greenhouse gases, the increase could reach nearly 3 degrees.

To limit the rise to 1.5 degrees, an agreement was made to reduce global emissions of heat-trapping gases by 60 percent by 2035 from 2019 levels.

To achieve the target, countries agreed on a set of measures to accelerate the shift from fossil fuels over the next 10 years.

While the United States and Europe pushed for a “phase-out" of fossil fuels, opposition from oil-producing countries led to a compromise on "transitioning away" from fossil fuels. The agreement also includes tripling global renewable energy capacity by 2030.

The question now is what Japan should do to help build on the conference's outcome document.

Regarding the expansion of renewable energy, the Japanese government claims there are few suitable locations in Japan. However, there is ample room for installing solar panels on building roofs or in public facilities and abandoned farmland, and it is also possible to expand the use of offshore wind power.

Advancing green energy technology and using it to support developing countries could lead to future expansion of climate-related businesses.

The outcome document includes, as in the one adopted in the previous COP conference, a clause calling for "accelerating efforts toward the phase-down of unabated coal power."

Unabated fossil fuels refer to those produced and used without measures to substantially reduce the amount of greenhouse gases emitted throughout the life cycle. Japan argues that the co-firing of coal and ammonia qualifies as such a measure.

However, ammonia production requires vast amounts of energy and competes with fertilizer production. Since carbon dioxide reduction from co-firing is limited, this approach cannot be a convincing strategy for decarbonization.

It has been criticized as a "pretense of environmental consideration" for prolonging the life of coal power, and Japan has again been given the dishonor of a “fossil award” for its reluctance to tackle the climate challenge by an international network of environmental nongovernmental organizations

On the other hand, for the first time, the COP outcome document cited nuclear power as a means of decarbonization, with more than 20 countries, including Japan, launching a declaration to triple the global nuclear power capacity by 2050.

However, building a nuclear power plant takes time and the complicated issue of waste disposal remains unresolved. The risk of becoming the target of an enemy attack in times of conflict has also become apparent.

Reliance on nuclear power is not a viable option for a nation as susceptible to serious natural disasters as Japan.

Whether it is coal power or nuclear energy, the Japanese government and business community tend to focus on extending the life of existing facilities to secure short-term profits.

Maintaining this attitude could leave Japan trailing behind in the changes occurring in the world and undermine its future benefits. The climate crisis is already a reality.

The time has come to focus efforts on ensuring a transition away from fossil fuels.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Dec. 17