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Tuesday, 2nd June 2015
In General Japan News,
Japan set to become greener destination
A cut of 26 per cent in Japan's greenhouse gas emissions is to be pledged by the country's prime minister Shinzo Abe, it has been announced.
The nation's premier made the promise ahead of a global summit on climate change, which is scheduled to take place later this year.
He also said he would be taking a leading role in the international bid to combat the pollutants responsible for global warming.
Addressing a climate change cabinet meeting yesterday (June 1st), Abe added: "This is an ambitious target which is no way inferior to other countries internationally."
The prime minister was clear to underline his administration's commitment to reducing the reliance on nuclear power in favour of energy saving measures and the introduction of renewable energy.
Some 196 countries will be present at the COP21 conference in Paris that will run from November 30th to December 11th.
The idea is to find a consensus between all of the parties in attendance, but it is likely that this will prove to be a difficult task.
According to information from the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, only 38 of the participants have so far outlined their national pledges for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
It had previously been announced by Tokyo that a fifth of its electricity should come from nuclear power generation, but this would require switching the country's nuclear reactors back on.
At present, not a single one of these is in operation and Abe's statement appears to suggest a u-turn on the policy.
To meet the proposed emissions cut, Japan will need to rely more heavily on the likes of solar and wind power, which would account for 22 to 24 per cent of electricity demand by 2030.
In order for this to work, the country will need to attract more investment in renewable energy technologies.
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