I was six when I started catching shrimp in the waterways of Louisiana. I inherited the livelihood that sustained my father, grandfather, and generations before them. My boat in the Gulf of Mexico is my second home. But I may lose it all – in part to Japan’s dangerous investments in fossil gas.

Eight years ago, fossil fuel companies and their government allies moved Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) projects into the region and turned our fishing community upside down. The Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal was just 300 feet from my house, and promised “deep-water access, proximity to plentiful gas supplies and ease of transport for buyers”. Vibrations from its operations were so intense they knocked pictures off my wall. My wife suffered a heart attack, and my children were frequently ill. Facing dire health consequences and daily interruptions, my family was driven from our home.

Most people don’t realize that Japan is bankrolling LNG and the destruction along the US Gulf Coast. Japanese private banks MUFG, Mizuho, and SMBC are the first, second, and third biggest financiers of LNG export projects in the US. These banks have committed more than $13 million,  $11 million, and $10 million respectively to US-based LNG projects.

On April 10, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will meet with President Joe Biden in Washington, DC to discuss the US and Japan’s commitment to promoting stability in the world and the advancement of clean energy supply chains. Biden clearly understands the need to take a hard look at the impacts of future LNG development as indicated by the pause he announced recently.

His administration has called the climate crisis the “existential threat of our time,” and sees the US as a champion to support other world leaders’ transition to green energy. But my family, and so many around me, are still waiting for change.

Travis Dardar drives his boat on the water with the Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal shown in the background. (Photo: Susanne Wong / Oil Change International)

Massive LNG tankers now crowd the water and wildlife is disappearing. Before the Calcasieu Pass LNG terminal started operating last year, local fishermen caught about 700,000 pounds of shrimp annually. The shrimp catch is now down nearly 90%, with no compensation for losing our livelihoods.

The devastating impacts of LNG on communities like mine and our unwavering opposition is the reason why in January President Biden paused LNG export approvals. The US Department of Energy is supposed to consider how to determine whether these projects are in the public interest and to take into account impacts on communities, ecosystems, and climate. Unfortunately, Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm recently indicated this pause could be lifted within the year, when what we really need is for President Biden to stop all new LNG export projects for good.

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Increasingly, the international community recognizes fossil fuels’ toxic effects on the environment and communities and the momentum is shifting towards clean energy.  Yet, Japan is still driving the expansion of gas and LNG in the US, across Asia and globally. In spite of Japan’s declining LNG demand at home, Japan is staking its economic growth on pushing governments across South and Southeast Asia to import LNG.

I invite Prime Minister Kishida to travel on my boat while he is in the US to see for himself the impact of Japan’s dirty energy projects on Gulf communities.

Air pollution hits health

Health deterioration in my community is unsurprising, given the plant’s pollution emissions. Long-term exposure to LNG chemicals can lead to heart disease and certain types of cancer, and living near a pollution center has been linked to increased stress, depression, and other mental health problems.

According to research by the Louisiana Bucket Brigade, the Calcasieu Pass LNG export terminal violated its air pollution permits on 286 of the first 343 days it was in operation – 83% of its first year. Rather than working to clean up its operations, Venture Global, the gas company behind the LNG facility, petitioned the state air quality agency to increase its allowable pollution limits. If the gas project already built can’t even follow pollution regulations, how can we expect the two plants posed for construction upstream to do so?

Despite this, the Gulf area buzzes with Japanese LNG operations. The proposed Calcasieu Pass 2 terminal is part of a 20-year contract with JERA, Japan’s largest gas company and the world’s largest LNG buyer. JERA agreed to buy 1 million tons of LNG annually from the project. INPEX, Japan’s largest oil and gas producer, also signed a 20-year contract to buy 1 million tons of LNG annually. These corporate operations and their profits are behind Japan’s push to expand LNG markets around the world.

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Japan has developed a regional initiative, the Asia Zero Emissions Community, that will expand and prolong the use of fossil fuels by proposing to abate their emissions. This is a greenwashing effort to push governments in Asia to adopt dangerous distractions like hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon capture and storage. In reality, this will expand and prolong the harm of fossil fuels on communities like mine.

Although Biden’s pause on LNG export authorizations is a step in the right direction, it’s hard to celebrate here in Cameron Parish. LNG tankers dominate the water, and fishers are left to collect the scraps of our communities and livelihoods. Even with the setbacks, our community hasn’t given up hope. I founded Fishermen Interested in Saving Our Heritage (FISH), a united front that will fight to protect our homes, the environment, and access to the Gulf waters. We are focused on saving our way of life.

As the largest LNG exporter in the world, the US holds major influence in this tainted market. During their upcoming meeting, I urge Prime Minister Kishida and President Biden to recognize our future in renewables and stop sacrificing frontline communities for profit.

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The leaders will convene for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit following a once-in-200-year heatwave that shut down schools and led to widespread hospitalizations across the region. 

But, at a time when ASEAN leaders must take strong action to transition to renewable energy, Japan is undermining Southeast Asia’s transition by promoting technologies that would expand and prolong the use of fossil fuels. 

Japan is using initiatives such as the “Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC)” and the “Asia Energy Transition Initiative” to supposedly support ASEAN partners’ decarbonisation efforts. However, these initiatives are vehicles to promote Japan’s so-called “Green Transformation” strategy, which relies heavily on fossil fuels and fossil fuel-based technologies.

Japan’s plans emphasize the development of liquefied natural gas (LNG), fossil hydrogen, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and co-firing ammonia and biomass at coal-fired power plants. These technologies will not help Asia reduce emissions.

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According to thinktank TransitionZero, co-firing ammonia at coal plants in Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Thailand will not cut emissions in line with the International Energy Agency’s 2050 net-zero target.

Similarly, switching from coal to gas power plants globally will not reduce emissions enough to meet climate targets, according to Global Energy Monitor. It will also delay the necessary transition to clean and renewable energy, such as solar and wind. 

Japan’s efforts to undermine Southeast Asia’s energy transition are extensive. Last year, Japan drafted a decarbonisation plan for Indonesia that prioritised the development of LNG, hydrogen, ammonia co-firing, and CCS. Japan is slated to develop a national decarbonisation plan for Cambodia, among others. Earlier this year, Japan convened an AZEC meeting to build support for its technologies amongst energy ministers across Asia. 

More recently, Japan’s hand was visible in the August joint statement of ASEAN Ministers on Energy Plus Three, which encouraged the deployment and utilization of “hydrogen, fuel ammonia, small modular reactor, bioenergy, clean coal technology (CCT), and carbon capture utilisation and/or storage (CCU/S)/carbon recycling” and emphasized the need for investment in LNG for “energy security and energy transition in the region.”

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At the upcoming ASEAN Summit, member states must reject Japan’s self-serving push for fossil fuel-based technologies and strengthen their cooperation on increasing solar and wind capacity in the region. With the costs of solar and wind falling worldwide, this is the most cost-effective way to cut emissions and meet climate goals. 

ASEAN countries must also not waste precious public funds on technologies such as LNG, CCS and ammonia co-firing, which will prolong the use of fossil fuels and keep Asia’s skies full of smog. In addition, ASEAN governments must firmly demand that developed country governments like Japan deliver climate finance and fulfill their obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Climate finance should partly be used to support the acceleration of the equitable and just transition to solar and wind energy.

The ASEAN Summit will conclude on the International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies. If ASEAN leaders, led by Indonesian President Joko Widodo, are serious about improving air quality for millions of citizens and mitigating the climate crisis, they must make ambitious commitments to scale up solar and wind and reject Japan’s dirty fossil fuel-based technologies. 

Bondan Andriyanu is a Climate and Energy Campaigner at Greenpeace Indonesia, Novita Indri is an Energy Campaigner at Trend Asia in Indonesia, and Lidy Nacpil is the coordinator of Asian Peoples’ Movement on Debt and Development and convener of Don’t Gas Asia Campaign. 

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The self-proclaimed “high ambition coalition against plastic pollution” (Hac) already includes the other G7 countries, with the exception of the United States.

To lengthy applause and whistles from the UN officials, ministers and campaigners in the room, Takeshi Akahori from Japan’s foreign ministry told a Hac briefing: “Japan is pleased to attend this event today in Paris as a new member of the high-ambition coalition. We do so because we share the ambition of the high-ambition coalition.”

Campaigners celebrated the announcement. The Environmental Investigation Agency’s Chris Dixon told Climate Home that it was a “significant position shift” as Japan is a ” high producer, consumer and exporter of plastic waste, with a track record in investing in incineration as a solution to dealing with plastics”.

Andres Del Castillo, from the Center for International Environmental Law,  also welcomed the move but added that he hoped it was “in good faith and we will closely be monitoring their engagement”.

The Hac’s members (light blue) include all G7 countries but the US

US isolated

The move leaves the USA as the only big wealthy country outside of the coalition as government negotiators gather for the second round of talks on setting up a treaty to tackle plastic pollution. Its official Jose Hernandez spoke as a guest at the HAC briefing.

While the USA and Saudi Arabia favour measures to encourage plastic recycling, the high-ambition coalition wants “binding provisions” to “restrain and reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers”.

Hernandez said the US agrees with the Hac in several areas but did not mention reducing the production of plastic.

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As the use of oil and gas to make electricity and power cars is forecast to decline, the oil and gas industry hopes that more of its product is turned into plastic.

Plastics are responsible for an estimated 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions through their lifecycle.

Plastics industry’s position

Joshua Baca is vice president of plastics at the American Chemistry Council (ACC), a trade association whose board includes representatives of oil and gas companies Shell and Total.

He said: “We continue to believe that an ambitious agreement that ends plastic pollution is the right approach. However, restricting the production of plastic materials essential to delivering clean water, renewable energy, and sanitary medical and personal care products is the wrong approach.”

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Freedom of information requests from Unearthed and Climate Home News show close coordination between the ACC and the US’s plastics negotiators at the Environmental Protection Agency, including before the previous round of plastics treaty talks in Uruguay.

An official from the Environmental Protection Agency agreed to check in with a lobbyist from the plastics industry ahead of plastics treaty talks in Uruguay a few months ago, my FOIA request shows. pic.twitter.com/60Yd5xx0nv

— Joe Lo (@joeloyo) February 16, 2023

Dividing lines

In Paris next week, talks will centre on whether the treaty should be bottom-up, like the Paris Agreement on climate, or top-down with more binding measures.

Voting rules will also be debated as the European Union is facing attempts to weaken its power to vote on behalf of its member states in treaty negotiations.

As with climate talks, finance will be a key issue, with developing countries asking for money and technology from richer nations in order to tackle plastic pollution.

Governments aim to set up a treaty by 2024 and begin holding annual Cop-style talks between treaty members after that.

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Last month climate ministers from the group of wealthy nations stated they are “steadfast in their commitment to … keeping a limit of 1.5°C global temperature rise within reach”.

If they want to stay true to their word, they must close the door to new gas investments, including for hazardous Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG), keep their commitment to end international fossil fuel finance, and resist Japan’s push for fossil-fuel based technologies.

End fossil fuel investment

Stopping new gas projects is critical to avoiding the worst impacts of the climate crisis.

The latest reports from the International Energy Agency (IEA) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) show that maintaining a 50% chance of limiting global warming to 1.5°C requires an immediate end to investments in new coal, oil, and gas production and hazardous liquified fossil gas infrastructure.

US backs Indonesian oil refinery despite pledge to end fossil fuel finance

These findings remain unchanged in the context of the war in Ukraine and its impact on global energy markets.

Leaving the door open for new investments in gas is also in direct contradiction to last year’s G7 commitment to end international public finance for fossil fuels by the end of 2022 “except in limited circumstances … consistent with a 1.5°C warming limit”.

Broken promise

Last month in Sapporo G7 ministers claimed they fulfilled this commitment.

But this is simply not true.

We understand that Italy approved financing for the Santos Basin oil and gas production project in Brazil this year.

The Japanese export credit agency, JBIC, recently approved $393 million for a gas-fired power plant in Uzbekistan.

During a recent visit to Mozambique, Prime Minister Kishida also committed to reviving controversial Mozambique LNG projects which have been associated with local devastation, repression and violence.

A bilateral meeting between Japan’s prime minister Fumio Kishida and the UK prime minister Rishi Sunak. Photo: Number 10

Germany has not yet presented a policy for implementing the commitment to end international fossil fuel finance. The USA has adopted a policy, but it is not public.

The G7 members that have followed through, Canada, the UK and France, are in a strong position to push back against backsliding at the G7 Leaders’ Summit, while supporting fellow members in their implementation efforts.

Redirecting billions towards clean energy

An Oil Change International briefing underlines the importance of advancing this agenda. It shows that between 2020 and 2022 fossil fuel support from G7 countries totalled at least $73 billion. This is almost 2.6 times their clean energy support over the same period.

By upholding last year’s commitments, the G7 can directly shift $24.3 billion a year in public finance out of fossil fuels and into clean energy.  This would raise G7 finance to a sum almost large enough to close the clean energy access gap.

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Rather than promoting outdated and climate-destroying fossil fuel technologies across Asia and Africa, Japan should meet its promise to end international finance for fossil fuels.

It should also ensure that, together with fellow rich countries, it delivers its fair share of climate, loss and damage and just energy transition finance support to the Global South.

Shifting to clean energy and phasing out fossil fuel reliance is critical to permanently bring down soaring energy costs and increase energy security.

Renewable energy technologies are more affordable and can be scaled up more rapidly. They also help avoid fiscal instability linked to volatile fossil fuel prices and stranded asset risks as global gas demand drops.

A plea to Japan

Japan should not be allowed to continue to misuse its position as the G7 host to promote its fossil-fuel heavy energy strategy. Japan, and other G7 countries who are breaking their commitments, are harming our planet, and it is time for the world to hold them accountable.

The only effective answer to the climate crisis and energy security objectives is explicitly ruling out investments in new upstream gas and liquified fossil gas infrastructure, delivering on commitments to end international public finance for fossil fuels and phase-out fossil fuels in line with 1.5°C.

By shifting to renewable energy and phasing out fossil fuel reliance, we can secure a more secure, prosperous future for Africa, Asia, and worldwide. The G7 must act now to ensure a just and equitable transition to a clean energy future.

Elizabeth Bast is the Executive Director of Oil Change International, Tasneem Essop is the Executive Director of the Climate Action Network and Kanna Mitsuta is the Executive Director of Friends of the Earth Japan.

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Climate change and energy ministers from G7 countries will meet on April 15-16 in Sapporo, Japan, to discuss efforts to address climate change.

A draft of the G7 statement said ministers would agree that new upstream investments in gas were needed, because of the energy fallout from Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia slashed gas deliveries to Europe last year, causing a global supply squeeze and soaring prices in global markets.

“In this context, in this particular contingency, we recognize the need for necessary upstream investments in LNG (liquefied natural gas) and natural gas in line with our climate objectives and commitments,” the draft statement said.

The draft is still being negotiated by the G7 countries, and may change significantly before it is adopted.

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Commitment on LNG investments, if kept in the final communique, would be a win for the G7 meeting’s host Japan, which calls LNG a ‘transitional fuel’ to cleaner energy that it says could be needed for at least 10-15 years.

But such investments would run counter to assessments by global energy watchdog the International Energy Agency, which has said no new investments in fossil fuel supply can be made if the world is to stop global warming exceeding 1.5 degrees Celsius – the limit that would avoid its most severe impacts.

The world must substantially reduce fossil fuel energy use this decade to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change, the U.N.’s IPCC climate science panel has said. Projected CO2 emissions from existing fossil fuel projects would blow the remaining carbon budget to meet the 1.5C goal, according to the IPCC.

G7 climate ministers had said at a meeting last year that investment in the LNG sector was needed to respond to the energy crisis, but they had not explicitly endorsed upstream investments in gas supply.

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The G7 had previously pledged to end public support for overseas fossil fuel projects by the end of 2022.

The draft statement said the countries expect demand for LNG to “continue to grow” in countries that can afford to later replace gas with net zero emissions energy sources.

The document revealed pushback from some countries, including the European Union, which opposed the statement that LNG demand will increase. The 27-country EU attends G7 meetings.

Once major buyers of Russian pipeline gas, European countries are racing to diversify their energy sources – replacing Russian gas, in part, with more LNG.

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The draft communique repeatedly condemned Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and said the G7 would work with ‘reliable partners’ to reduce dependence on Russia.

In another potential win for energy-poor Japan, the draft communique mentioned ammonia as a hydrogen derivative which could be an “effective emission reduction” tool.

Japan is testing coal co-firing with ammonia as a tool to reduce carbon emissions from thermal power generation and wants to expand the system to as many power plants in the country as possible.

An official dealing with international affairs at the Japanese industry ministry declined to comment on the draft.

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Years ago, Japanese officials waltzed into our countries – the Philippines and Indonesia – and cut deals to develop dirty coal power plants that would enrich Japanese corporate interests.

After years of resistance, people’s movements from the Philippines to Bangladesh and Indonesia succeeded in pressuring the Japanese government last year to stop exporting its dirty coal technologies to our vibrant, rich and extremely climate vulnerable countries.

We won. But now Japan is at it again.

After decades of inaction on the climate crisis, the Japanese government led by prime minister Fumio Kishida approved a so-called “Green Transformation” (GX) strategy on 10 February to purportedly support the transition to clean energy.

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But this strategy is an exercise in greenwashing and relies heavily on the expansion and use of fossil fuels.

Japan’s flawed GX strategy outlines how it will achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and support the energy transition across Southeast Asia.

The strategy aims to mobilise over $1.1 trillion in public and private capital over the next ten years to overhaul 22 industrial sectors in Japan and provide partner countries like ours with Japanese technology and finance.

However, Japan’s toxic plans rely on the use of fossil fuel-based technologies, including liquified natural gas (LNG), the co-firing of ammonia at coal-fired power plants, hydrogen, and carbon capture and storage (CCS).

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These technologies would prolong the use of fossil fuels at a time when renewable energy solutions are cheaper, more reliable and available.

Furthermore, they would not cut emissions to limit global heating to 1.5C, which is crucial to avoiding climate disaster. Investors are reportedly wary of greenwashing in Japan’s strategy and transition bonds.

Nevertheless, Japan is ploughing forward by convening an Asia Zero Emissions Community meeting on 4 March to promote these fossil-based technologies to energy ministers from across the region.

Japan is also leveraging its G7 presidency this year to increase financing for LNG and upstream gas projects and further advance its dirty energy strategy for Asia. Japan’s ammonia and hydrogen technologies rely almost exclusively on the use of fossil gas.

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Japan wants us to believe that gas is cleaner than coal, but the truth is far from this. Building gas is an affront to our moral duty to protect the environment and would derail efforts to limit global heating to 1.5C.

In the Philippines, 34 gas power plants and 11 new LNG import terminals are planned. Much of the development is centered in the Batangas region which is home to the Verde Island Passage, a biodiversity hotspot.

The Japan Bank for International Cooperation, Osaka Gas and Mizuho are supporting the LNG buildout, which would destroy rich livelihoods and ecosystems, as well as thriving businesses.

Japan is also treating Indonesia as a testing ground for its dirty fossil-based technologies. The Japan International Cooperation Agency developed a decarbonisation plan to supposedly help Jakarta achieve carbon neutrality by 2060.

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This flawed plan places strong emphasis on developing LNG, hydrogen and ammonia co-firing and CCUS. Japanese corporation Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is testing the co-firing of ammonia at the Suralaya coal power plant. The extended operation of coal plants would prolong the adverse health and livelihood impacts on neighbouring residents.

These technologies are being peddled by Japan as cutting-edge climate solutions, but at their core they are the same dirty fossil fuels that got us into this mess.

We join 140 groups from 18 countries urging Japan to stop financing fossils and support a just, equitable and direct transition to renewable energy. We stand firm in our opposition to fossil fuels and Japan’s dirty energy strategy for Asia with its “false solutions”, which are nothing but greenwashing lies.

Gerry Arances is convenor of the Power for People coalition and the Executive Director of the Center for Energy, Ecology and Development in the Philippines.

Dwi Sawung currently serves as Infrastructure and Spatial Planning Campaign Manager at WALHI – Friends of the Earth Indonesia.

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It means that Japan joins the other G7 members, which already adopted a near-identical commitment at the 2021 UN climate conference, in shifting its public finance to clean energy. This is significant. Japan is the second largest provider of public finance for fossil fuels, pouring $11 billion into dirty overseas fossil fuel projects each year.

The commitment is also a welcome reaffirmation of the Glasgow promise for the other G7 members. Amidst worrying signals of backsliding – mainly from Germany and Japan – we urge the G7 to not water down the ministerial commitment at next week’s summit.

Prioritising public finance for clean energy and energy efficiency is critical to mitigate the climate crisis and meet energy security and development needs.

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By fulfilling its commitment, the G7 commitment can shift $33 billion each year from fossil fuels to clean energy. This would go a long way towards meeting at least the mitigation finance part of the still unfulfilled pledge to invest $100 billion annually to support climate action in developing nations.

This shift is also critical to meeting energy security and development goals as clean energy and energy efficiency solutions provide the best near and long-term options for building a more secure, sustainable and safe future. However, the commitment appears to not yet be a done deal.

In recent weeks there have been signals of countries potentially backsliding by investing in gas and LNG to replace Russian supply. Chancellor Scholz has been recorded saying that he intensively wants to pursue gas projects in Senegal. We hear from G7 negotiators of other G7 countries that Germany even tries to weaken in this regard the official G7 text which would undermine the 1.5C-limit. The Japanese government seems to believe that, despite its G7 pledge, it can continue financing upstream oil and gas projects.

For Germany’s new government, the first time G7 host, a weakening of the ministerial commitment to shift finance in the G7 leader’s statement would be a particularly bad look as well as for Japan. The Japanese government has already played a critical role in watering down the commitment, carving out exceptions to purportedly help countries meet their climate goals and for national security, while these would have quite the opposite effect.

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Japan will need to make a dramatic u-turn to meet its commitment to end finance to all fossil fuels by the end of this year.

The Japanese government has been driving the expansion of gas infrastructure across Asia and globally. Last May, Japan announced the Asia Energy Transition Initiative (AETI), which includes $10 billion in financial support to develop LNG demand in Asia.

In April, Japan agreed to help the Indonesian government develop hydrogen, ammonia, and carbon capture for “realistic energy transitions.” Japanese Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is now planning a feasibility study on utilising ammonia at the Suralaya coal-fired power station. This Suralaya complex is next to the controversial Jawa 9 & 10 coal plants, where communities are already suffering from high levels of air pollution and damage to the sea and local fishing industry.

Prime Minister Kishida considers plans to export technology to capture carbon and co-fire ammonia at coal power plants “the key to decarbonizing while still using fossil fuels”.

Japan’s continued promotion of fossil fuel expansion threatens its own economy and energy security, especially in light of volatile gas prices. It also undermines the energy and climate security of countries in Asia. Five out of the top ten countries with the highest climate risk are in South and Southeast Asia.

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As G7 leaders come together, we need them to address the multiple crises we are facing around energy security, climate, food security and the war in Ukraine. Plans to focus on building new gas infrastructure to improve energy security are shortsighted.

Research shows that with sufficient investments in energy efficiency and renewable energy, and through utilizing existing LNG infrastructure, there is no need for investment in new LNG infrastructure to replace Russian supply. Clean energy solutions can be deployed quickly without the price volatility, stranded asset risks and time required to develop new fossil fuel infrastructure.

This moment requires unfaltering leadership, courage and vision. The G7 ministerial commitment must not be watered down, and it must not be another empty promise. We need G7 leaders to stand firm in their commitment to end public finance for overseas fossil fuels and to shift investment to clean energy. This will help build the more peaceful, sustainable, equitable and energy secure future we so desperately need.

Thuli Makama is the Africa programme director for Oil Change International, Zenzi Suhadi is the executive director at the Indonesian NGO WALHI National and Christoph Bals, is the policy director at Germanwatch 

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Following a three-day meeting in Berlin, the G7’s energy and environment ministers issued a statement on Friday committing to these goals and supporting “an accelerated global unabated coal phase-out”.

It marked the biggest shift in policy for fossil fuel-reliant Japan. An annotated draft seen by Climate Home News showed that Japan had tried to remove both commitments from the communique but European countries and Canada defended them.

“There is no wavering in our commitment to 1.5C… the need for action on decarbonisation was reaffirmed at the G7,” said Japan’s environment minister Toshitaka Ooka at a press conference.

Japan takes over the G7 presidency next year. Ooka said energy issues would be “the most critical challenge”. 

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Analysts and campaigners described the statement as a gamechanger for global decarbonisation efforts.

“The end of unabated coal power AND GAS POWER is now coming into sight,” Ember’s Dave Jones tweeted.

Price of Oil campaigner Laurie Van Der Burg said Japan signing up to the communique was “an important breakthrough” as the country has been “very aggressively backing the expansion of gas in Asia but also worldwide.”

Japan is one of the world’s top financiers of fossil fuels and had been the only G7 nation not to sign up to a pledge at last year’s Cop26 summit to halt that flow. Between 2018 and 2020, Japan provided $10.9bn a year to fossil fuel projects in other countries. This is far higher than finance provided by the US or European G7 members and slightly less than Canada.

It was also the only country not to have a plan to phase fossil fuels out of its electricity system by 2035. By 2030, it aims to get 59% of its electricity from renewables and nuclear power. In 2020, 70% of Japan’s electricity was generated from gas and coal, with just 20% coming from renewables.

African nations’ dash for gas exposes division at the UN and ‘hypocrisy’ in Europe

Jones described a 2035 target as a “challenge” but “definitely achievable” for Japan. “The obvious place to start is scaling up rooftop solar and wind energy, which could help Japan create a far more secure and sustainable energy system by 2035,” he said. 

“Replacing fossil fuels with clean energy with the speed required will be a challenge for Japan,” said Hanna Hakko, senior analyst at E3G. “Additional modelling and policy planning will be urgently needed.”

But campaigners were positive about the direction of travel. “The language in the statement is strong and goes beyond the Japanese government’s previous position,” Kimiko Hirata, executive director of Climate Integrate told Climate Home News.

While Japan has not committed to phase out coal – its current energy plan forecasts that 19% of its electricity will come from coal in 2030 – Hirata said the 2035 decarbonisation target implied a coal exit. “This is totally new for Japan,” Hirata said, calling for stronger language on coal phaseout at next month’s leaders’ summit.

“Ending international fossil fuel finance is also a big step,” said Hirata. “Japan is subsidising gas exploration. Can they stop everything by 2022? This is a big question mark.”

“The renewed Japanese ambition and the new government in Australia should help supercharge Asia’s electricity transition, and will surely force a rethink in Korea to step up,” Jones told Climate Home News.

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Could this signal a break with Tokyo’s coal-friendly policies? That seems unlikely given its track record of using loopholes and greenwashing to circumvent global efforts to end coal. While other wealthy countries have slowly been transitioning away from coal, Japan has continued its support for coal power at home and abroad.

Japan is the second largest funder of coal power projects in other countries, after China. It justifies this funding by deceptively framing it as a contribution to climate change mitigation, arguing that Japanese coal technology is less polluting than conventional coal technology. The government therefore supports the export of Japanese “world-leading” coal power plants to developing countries. This policy is misleadingly described as “in line with the Paris Agreement and aimed at leading global decarbonization efforts”. 

Strong international pushback has led to some positive developments. The Japan Bank for International Cooperation announced in 2020 that it “will no longer accept loan applications for coal-fired power generation projects” and some Japanese-funded projects have been cancelled. Nonetheless, a recent study found that the world’s three biggest lenders to the coal industry were all Japanese banks. 

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In June of 2021, G7 countries promised to make efforts to end coal “as soon as possible” and end “almost” all direct government support for the fossil fuel energy sector overseas. According to someone involved in preparing the G7 statement, it was mainly on Japan’s insistence that such enervating qualifiers were inserted, weakening the message and enabling prolonged coal use.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy Trade and Industry (METI) has stated that Japan intends to keep its coal plants but will try to “decrease the [coal] share as much as possible”. However, an unnamed METI official told the Asahi newspaper that compromising on the coal share of Japan’s energy mix was “out of the question”. This means the government has no intention to improve its unambitious Basic Energy Plan, which aims at a 19% coal share in the 2030 electricity mix.

At the G20 meeting in Rome last October, countries resolved to end “public finance for new unabated coal power generation abroad”. On this occasion, Japan declared its intention “to end new direct government support” for such projects. The Japanese wording is important as it leaves the door open to continue backing overseas coal projects through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). This is because JICA, due to its legal status as an independent administrative institution, is not technically a government agency even though it operates like one.

Last year’s Cop26 climate talks ended with the Glasgow Pact calling for a phasedown of unabated coal power and fossil fuel subsidies. Many participating countries signed the Global Coal to Clean Power Transition Declaration and a pledge to stop funding foreign fossil fuel projects. Japan signed neither.

Sweden set to be world’s first country to target consumption-based emission cuts

Japan’s new prime minister, Fumio Kishida, has been noncommittal on a coal phasedown. In his policy speeches and his Cop26 speech, he boasted about Japanese environmental leadership, but conspicuously avoided any mention of coal. His chief cabinet secretary, Hirokazu Matsuno, perfectly conveyed the government’s lack of ambition when he insisted that Japan’s plans are “in line” with the Cop26 agreement’s call for a phasedown of coal. 

The government pins its hopes on “clean coal” technologies like carbon capture and storage to mitigate the climate impact of coal, but the feasibility of these is highly doubtful. A recent report by Transition Zero concluded that these technologies “are high-cost with limited carbon-reduction potential in the electricity sector”. 

In short, Japan has consistently resorted to semantic acrobatics to extend the life of coal power. 

Japan’s unrelenting coal addiction not only threatens to undercut its “lofty goal” of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 50% by 2030, it also risks locking other Asian countries onto a similar trajectory of coal dependence. 

As Japan now will begin banning Russian coal, it should not look for new coal partners, but rather use this moment as an opportunity to earnestly transition away from coal. It is high time for Tokyo to join global efforts to contain the climate crisis by reducing emissions in the electricity sector.

Florentine Koppenborg is a postdoctoral researcher and lecturer and the Bavarian School of Public Policy (HfP) at the Technical University of Munich. Ulv Hanssen is an associate professor at the Faculty of Law at Soka University and an associate research fellow at the Swedish Institute of International Affairs.

The post As Japan sanctions Russian coal, it is high time to kick the habit altogether appeared first on Climate Home News.

The news agency reported on Wednesday that the new target would be a 40% cut from 2013 levels, then on Thursday that it would be 45%, citing government officials. The current target is 26%.

Prime minister Yoshihide Suga will have the final say, after negotiations between the environment and economics ministries.

Environmentalists and sustainable business leaders are lobbying for a target of up to 60%, with resistance coming from some industry associations.

Climate Action Tracker says a 60% cut would be “challenging” but necessary to align with the strongest target in the Paris Agreement to hold global warming to 1.5C.

Under previous prime minister Shinzo Abe, the Japanese government resisted international pressure to increase its 2030 target.

Since taking over from Abe, Suga has placed a greater emphasis on the need for climate action, pledging to reach net zero by 2050.

Suga will meet US president Joe Biden next Friday and attend the US climate leaders’ summit on 22 April.

Biden is reportedly planning a 50% emissions reduction by 2030 target, based on 2005 levels.

The country’s target start date of 2013 was one of the peaks of Japanese emissions as fossil fuels replaced nuclear energy following the 2011 Fukushima disaster. Most countries use 1990 or 2005 as the start dates for their emissions targets.

According to data from the International Energy Agency, Japan’s use of coal has steadily increased over the last few decades and the country’s use of fossil fuels grew sharply after the Fukushima disaster led to a clampdown on nuclear power. On the other hand, Japan’s use of solar power increased over the last decade as the costs fell.

Under the current energy plan, coal, oil and gas still account for 56% of the electricity generation mix in 2030. Renewables are expected to provide 22-24% of power.

Critics have said this plan phases out coal too slowly and is over-reliant on carbon capture and storage. METI is due to publish a revised energy plan in June.

In order to reduce emissions rapidly, Climate Action Tracker says Japan will have to phase out coal from electricity production by 2030 while electrifying end-use sectors and reducing electricity demand through  efficiency measures. Green hydrogen is likely to be needed for heavy industries like steel, it added.

UN chief António Guterres has called on G7 countries like Japan to phase out coal by 2030.

When announcing the net zero goal in October, Suga promised to “fundamentally shift” Japan’s coal policy.

Kyodo reports that Japan’s 2030 target will be officially announced by the G7 summit in June.

This article was updated on 9/04 to reflect new information on the proposed level of ambition.

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The Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) announced last month it would invest $636 million in the controversial Vung Ang 2 project, through its Growth Investment Facility.

In response to questions from opposition lawmaker Mizuho Fukushima, seen by Climate Home News, the finance ministry revealed the loan came from a part of the facility targeted at “environmental preservation”.

Launching the facility in May 2018, Japanese finance minister Taro Aso told a meeting of Asian Development Bank governors it would “provide support for a variety of infrastructure projects that contribute to environmental preservation” like public transport and wind power.

However, the bank’s press releases show the “development of quality infrastructure for environmental preservation and sustainable growth” (QI-ESG) fund has supported five gas-fired power projects, compared to two in wind power and one in solar panel manufacturing. A total of 220 billion yen ($2bn) had been allocated to 11 projects as of November 2020, the finance ministry told Fukushima.

A policy presentation dated August 2020 by a senior JBIC official lists gas and high-efficiency coal-fired power generation as eligible for “environmental” funding, despite the fact burning fossil fuels is the main driver of global warming.

South Korea pursues Vietnamese coal plant, drawing international criticism

Vung Ang 2 is a planned 1,200 MW plant in central Vietnam. It will be built next to the existing Vung Ang plant. According to local media, in 2017 local residents blocked coal trucks leading to this plant in protest at the pollution and road damage they cause.

The plant will emit several times more sulphur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and fine particulate matter than would be allowed if it were in Japan, according to analysis from the Center for Research on Energy and Clean Air.

Ayumi Fukakusa, a campaigner from Friends of the Earth Japan, said: “It is, in the first place, unacceptable that JBIC support new coal projects, moreover with the fund which was advertised as ‘green and quality infrastructure'”. She said there was a “double standard”, with Japan pledging to reach net zero emissions domestically by 2050 but financing coal abroad.

JBIC finances its activities partly through issuing bonds, which are guaranteed by the Japanese government, making them a safe investment.

Ulf Erlandsson, a former pension fund manager who set up the Anthropocene Fixed Income Institute as a climate watchdog for international bond markets, called on investors to boycott JBIC.

He told Climate Home News: “We already have argued for JBIC to be excluded from international bond portfolios due to its coal financing. With the information that JBIC explicitly uses funds indicated as ‘ESG’ to provide such funding, we are comfortable putting JBIC in a frontrunner position for the ‘most egregious greenwashing of the decade’ award.”

Zsolt Lengyel, secretary of the Institute for European Energy and Climate Policy, said this “outrageous” case showed a need for more accountability from sovereign issuers to bond buyers.

“Finance streams must show real life impacts including their climate impacts. These must be verifiable and verified independently. This transaction is a proof that we lack such systems. Unless we build them fast, we will cripple the energy transition and be swept away by gargantuan greenwashing,” said Lengyel.

Japan net zero pledge puts coal in the spotlight

Analyst Simon Nicholas, from the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, said that Vietnam does not need more coal power. “JBIC is encumbering Vietnam with old power technology at a time when the country is reducing focus on coal and seeing renewable energy installation skyrocket,” he said. “Vietnam installed almost 5GW of utility-scale solar power in 2019 and an astonishing 9GW of rooftop solar in 2020. Wind power is also expanding fast in Vietnam. Such renewable energy growth undermines the rationale for further coal-fired power development.”

Japanese public banks have previously counted coal power projects towards the country’s climate finance pledges. Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) loaned $1.4bn to support a coal plant in Bangladesh, claiming this funding was “contributing to the mitigation of climate change” because the plant was less polluting than other coal plants.

Japanese “climate finance” has also backed coal plants in India, Indonesia and Vietnam, Associated Press revealed in 2014. The Japanese foreign ministry at the time defended using climate funds in this way. “We don’t have anything to hide or disguise,” the official said.

A JBIC spokesperson declined to comment.

The post Exclusive: Japan uses ‘environmental’ fund to finance Vietnamese coal plant appeared first on Climate Home News.

Our communities in Indonesia have suffered from the climate crisis and it is critical that governments, especially those most responsible for it, take action.

But his promise rings hollow for us. Despite Japan’s commitment, it is moving forward with plans to finance a new coal plant in our community – one that will dirty our air, destroy our livelihoods and worsen the climate crisis. Further, Japan has made efforts to undermine global negotiations to phase out overseas coal finance.

If Japan is truly serious about the climate crisis, it must cease all support to new coal plants including those under consideration and in the pipeline.

And that must include Indramayu.

Analysis: Who will build the world’s last coal plant?

The proposed 1,000 MW Indramayu coal-fired power plant in West Java poses serious threats to our community. Like many other coal projects, Indramayu will not bring the development benefits claimed by the Japanese government. Instead, the project will worsen the climate crisis, undermine our human rights and pollute our air. Our sustainable livelihoods – based on rice cultivation, vegetable farming and coastal fishing – will be destroyed.

We refuse the development of such projects on our behalf.

Since 2016, we, especially peasants who will lose our livelihoods when our productive farmland is razed for the power plant, have been raising our voices to the Japanese and Indonesian governments in strong opposition to Indramayu. In response, local farmers have suffered serious human rights violations and criminalization for participating in protests. Several farmers were faced with false charges and jailed for 5 to 6 months. Repression and violence towards community members protesting coal projects is unacceptable and far too common.

Indramayu is a white elephant project. Despite claims that it is needed for reliable power supply for the Java-Bali grid, the grid is oversupplied and the reserve margin is currently around 30%.

No time for loopholes: Japan must immediately end all overseas coal finance

Last year, UN Secretary-General António Guterres called on countries to stop building new coal plants by 2020 and shift towards clean energy. New coal-fired power plants typically operate for decades, thereby “locking in” future greenhouse gas emissions. Every new coal plant that is built is utterly inconsistent with the Paris Agreement’s goals of limiting warming to 1.5°C.

On November 12, France is hosting the first global meeting of public development banks to reconcile “the entire finance community in support of the common action for climate and the UN sustainable development goals.” Japan will participate, but their continued financing of new coal plants is at odds with the summit’s objectives.

After facing intense international criticism, the Japanese government adopted a policy in July stating that “in principle,” the government will not provide financial support for new coal plants for any host country that does not have a policy for transition to decarbonisation. However, the principles leave a major loophole, since they do not apply to projects that are at the planning stage, including Indramayu. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is still considering providing $1.8 billion for construction of the Indramayu coal plant.

We call on the Japanese government and JICA to reject financing of the Indramayu coal plant and to cease overseas coal finance without exception. Indramayu must not be pushed through at the expense of the livelihoods and environment of our local community, the climate, or in exchange for future generations’ opportunities and choices.

We appreciate promises from the international community, including Japan, to tackle the climate crisis. But until these commitments translate into real action, they aren’t worth the paper they’re written on.

Rodi is the head of JATAYU, the Indramayu Coal Smoke Free Network.

Meiki Paendong is the executive director of the Indonesian Forum for Environment (WALHI) West Java.

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Yoshihide Suga indicated his government would rethink its reliance on coal, instead backing solar power and “carbon recycling” – capturing carbon dioxide emissions for various industrial applications.

“I declare we will aim to realise a decarbonised society,” Suga said in his first policy address to parliament since taking office. 

“Responding to climate change is no longer a constraint on economic growth. We need to change our thinking to the view that taking assertive measures against climate change will lead to changes in industrial structure and the economy that will bring about great growth.”

Japan has faced mounting international pressure to strengthen its climate commitments. The previous administration would only aim for an 80% emissions reduction by 2050, compared to 2010 levels, and carbon neutrality “at the earliest possible time in the latter half of this century.”

I warmly welcome to the goal that all developed nations should set for themselves to stop climate change.

is a good friend and ally and we look forward to working with them towards net zero emissions in 2050. The world is coming together for the climate.

— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) October 26, 2020

Suga’s announcement follows China’s 2060 carbon neutrality pledge last month.

Tracker: Which countries have a net zero carbon goal?

Japan is the world’s fifth biggest emitter of carbon dioxide and has 48 GW of coal power capacity, which provide almost a third of its electricity generation. Another 7.4 GW are under construction and 2.5 GW in planning, according Global Energy Monitor data. The country’s coal use increased after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster stoked fears around atomic energy – its other major source.

Under the current energy plan, coal, oil and gas still account for 56% of the energy mix in 2030. Renewables are only expected to provide 22-24% of power generation. The ministry for economy, trade, and industry (Meti) is due to publish a revised energy plan next June.

Without going into detail, Suga hinted his government would address the country’s dependence on coal. “We will fundamentally shift our long-standing policy on coal-fired power generation,” he said during his speech.

“This is a fundamental change. Japan has always seen coal as an important export product and also domestically as an important source for energy security,” Takeshi Kuramochi, climate policy researcher at NewClimate Institute, told Climate Home News.

World Bank branch indirectly backs coal megaproject despite green pledge

Climate campaigners are calling for clarity on Japan’s emissions reduction and renewables targets for 2030 and a commitment to phasing out coal by this date. 

According to Japan’s Renewable Energy Institute (REI), Japan’s net zero target requires a full phaseout of coal by 2030, increasing the renewable energy target to 45% and raising the emissions reduction target for 2030 to 45% compared to 2010 levels. The current target is 26% compared to 2013 levels.

“It is necessary to significantly strengthen the GHG reduction target for 2030, and to completely phase out coal-fired power generation, including those [plants] which have been called ‘high efficiency’”, said Teruyuki Ohno, REI’s executive director. 

Japan’s climate strategy has focused heavily on technological innovations to curb emissions, such as carbon capture and storage (CCS) and high-efficiency coal power generation, sometimes called ‘clean coal’.

In June, the minister for economy, trade, and industry (Meti) Hiroshi Kajiyama said Japan would phase out 90% of old and inefficient coal generators by 2030 and focus on cleaner, high efficiency coal.

Analysis: A Biden victory could spur global climate action, but the US has much to prove

Campaigners say both technologies are inadequate solutions to get to net zero emissions.

“’Clean coal’ is not clean. It only achieves a 10% reduction in CO2 emissions. It is time to review this approach and invest in renewables. Those need to be supported fully so that we can expect a deep [emissions] reduction before 2030,” Kimiko Hirata, international director of the Kiko network, a Japanese environmental NGO, told Climate Home News. 

“Clean coal will have to be set to the side,” Kuramochi agreed. “There is simply no room for new power plants, in whatever format.”

There is no clear evidence that CCS technology can be commercialised in a cost effective way, Hirata said. “In Japan there is no location to store that [carbon dioxide].”

Hirata said Meti had promoted technologies such as CCS to protect the interests of fossil fuel companies who have strong ties with the government. “CCS provides subsidies to heavy industries, including the power and steel sectors,” she said. 

The roadmap to achieving net zero by 2050 “will be very controversial” as Meti and the ministry of environment are likely to adopt different approaches, according to Hirata.

Japan’s popular environment minister Shinjiro Koizumi has been pushing for the country to change its coal policy and has called on the government to end overseas coal finance. But Meti has almost 100% control over coal policy and “will have supreme power” when it comes to how to achieve the net zero target, Hirata said. 

According to Kuramochi, the government’s 2050 pledge was partly driven by a private sector eager to move away from coal and see more investment in renewable, climate-friendly technologies. “Meti are picking up on this trend emerging in the business sector and their stance is shifting,” he said.

The post Japan net zero emissions pledge puts coal in the spotlight appeared first on Climate Home News.

Suga is expected to lay out his policy priorities in first address to lawmakers since taking office last month in a speech to the Diet, Japan’s parliament.

He is expected to announce plans to cut all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050 and present measures to boost the deployment of renewable energy, according to Japanese newspaper Nikkei, which broke the story on Wednesday.

A carbon removal package is anticipated, which could include support for carbon capture and storage, and green hydrogen.

“This is very important and great news,” Takeshi Kuramochi, climate policy researcher at NewClimate Institute, told Climate Home News.

“It’s a significant step forward… that could create a step change in domestic policy decisions and among businesses and financial institutions,” agreed Kimiko Hirata, international director of the Kiko network, a Japanese environmental NGO.

Poland’s largest utility announces pivot from coal to renewables

Japan’s previous long-term climate strategy was to cut emissions by 80% by 2050 from 2010 levels and achieve carbon neutrality “at the earliest possible time in the latter half of this century”.

Last year’s climate strategy heavily relied on technological solutions to curb emissions and provided little detail on addressing Japan’s coal dependency, with the government committing to use carbon capture and storage in coal-fired power generation by 2030.

After president Xi Jinping’s surprise announcement last month that China will aim for carbon neutrality by 2060 and South Korea’s similar plans earlier this year, Japan was under pressure to clarify its long term ambition.

A flurry of commitments from Asian investors and development banks to strengthen their climate plans and end coal financing added to the momentum behind a 2050 net zero target, which in recent years has become the benchmark for climate ambition.

The 2050 goal will inform a revision of Japan’s 2030 energy plan, due to be presented by mid-2021. Under the current plan, renewables are expected to provide 22-24% of power generation, nuclear around 22-20% with coal, oil and gas still accounting for 56% of the energy mix.

Japan sticks to 2030 climate goals, accused of a ‘disappointing’ lack of ambition

“It will be easier for us to push for coal phase-out and renewable deployment” under the new long-term strategy, said Hirata. “If Japan does not have a coal phase-out date then it’s not going to be possible to meet net zero by 2050. The government needs to face that reality.”

“The coal-phase out certainly needs to much earlier than what the government has been discussing,” Kuramochi agreed, citing recent plans for closing inefficient coal plants to help the country meet its 2030 target of reducing coal’s share in the power generation mix to 26%.

To meet net zero emissions by 2050, the government will have to reduce coal’s share “well beyond” the 26% target and address emissions in the industrial sector as a whole, he added.

Earlier this year Keidanren, Japan’s largest business association and lobby group whose members include carbon-intensive sectors such as steel and automotive production, has been encouraging its members to develop innovative technology to help Japan achieve carbon neutrality.

But for all its talk of technological innovation, the industrial sector has been “lagging behind” the country’s decarbonisation efforts, Kuramochi said.

Plans to bolster research and development are falling short of the scale needed to achieve carbon neutrality, he added, warning there had “hardly been any discussion on decarbonising steel” for example.

The post Japan set to announce 2050 net zero emissions target – report appeared first on Climate Home News.

While the European Union is pushing for updates of the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT) to make it more climate-friendly, Japan has resisted any changes.

Ahead of a second round of negotiations on modernising the pact this week, Luxembourg’s energy minister Claude Turmes said in a webinar the EU might quit the treaty if there was no progress.

“I would not rule out that if nothing moves, if there is not sufficient movement, then you would have no other option than to collectively step out. That was also a discussion raised by France, although I can’t confirm the French government’s commitment,” he said.

Marjolaine Meynier-Millefert, a French lawmaker from president Emmanuel Macron’s party, said reform was preferable to ditching the treaty, but “if we are forced to do so then there would be no other option than to do so”.

On Tuesday, 139 lawmakers in the European Parliament issued a statement warning the treaty “is threatening the climate ambition of the EU domestically and internationally”. They said the EU should withdraw unless it can achieve a rewrite of the pact to scrap protections for fossil fuel investors.

Uniper uses investment treaty to fight Netherlands coal phaseout

The ECT is a pact signed in the 1990s to boost investment flows between western and post-Soviet countries. Provisions to deter states from grabbing private assets have been retooled by energy companies to fight climate policies.

Last year, German utility Uniper threatened to sue the Dutch government under the treaty, because a national plan to phase out coal burning would force the early closure of Uniper’s power station near Rotterdam.

The European Union has proposed amendments that reinforce governments’ “right to regulate” on issues like public health and the environment. But any changes must be passed unanimously and so can be blocked by any of the ECT’s 53 signatories.

A written submission from Japan published by the ECT secretariat in October 2019, before modernisation talks began, asserts 26 times: “Japan believes that it is not necessary to amend the current ECT provisions”.

Among the proposals rejected by Japan are language on the “right to regulate” and changes to the investor-state dispute resolution (ISDS) mechanism.

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Leaked ECT notes seen by Climate Home News show that, ahead of the first round of negotiations in July 2020, Japan expressed “great concerns” about an EU plan for a multilateral investment court to replace the ISDS.

Japan was supported in this by Kazakhstan. In the notes, both nations said “modernisation should be minimal”.

According to Yamina Saheb, a former head of the ECT energy efficiency unit and observer of the negotiations, the 12-strong Japanese delegation in July made no proposals to change the text and called for 2020 discussions to be limited to clarifying national positions.

Japan’s position as the largest single donor to the ECT and the vice chair of the modernisation negotiations means it is influential.

Pia Eberhardt, a researcher at Corporate Europe Observatory, told CHN Japan’s opposition means “it’s very unlikely that we will see any of the changes which we would need to see to make this agreement compatible with climate action”.

Countries promise green recovery at Japanese virtual summit, keep quiet on fossil bailouts

Japan’s reluctance to change the ISDS mechanism reflects the fact that, unlike many European countries, it has never been sued by foreign investors.

On the other hand, Japanese companies have used the ECT to take legal action against governments. So far, these have only been renewables companies angry at a decision by Spain’s previous government to cut subsidies and increase taxes – but fossil fuel companies could use the treaty in a similar way.

Japan is the only G7 country still building coal-fired power plants, both in Japan and overseas. According to Mission 2020, Japanese public finance is behind 24.7 GW of coal power in other countries. That is larger than Australia’s entire coal fleet.

These coal power plants are in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Chile and Morocco. None of these countries are signatories to the ECT but several are either in the process of acceding or are observers.

And in 2016, the Japanese government changed the law to allow its state-run JOGMEC agency to buy foreign energy assets.

Guterres tells India coal business ‘going up in smoke’ as investors back clean tech

Italy and Russia have left the ECT, although a ‘sunset clause’ means the treaty’s provisions apply for 20 years after they leave.

Russia withdrew from the treaty in 2009, when former shareholders of the Yukos energy company used the ISDS to claim compensation for assets they said had been expropriated by the Russian government.

Italy withdrew from the ECT in 2016. The government said this was to reduce costs associated with membership but it may also have been a response to renewable energy companies taking legal action over a reduction in solar power subsidies.

The post Japan blocks green reform of major energy investment treaty appeared first on Climate Home News.

This month, Japan’s government addressed one of the leading causes of the climate crisis. Rising political star Shinjiro Koizumi had convinced Japanese officials to review the government’s policy on financing new overseas coal-fired power plants.

Koizumi, the charismatic Japanese environment minister and son of former Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, raised hopes that Japan would finally stop spending billions exporting the dirty, climate-wrecking technology. Coal is one of the dirtiest fossil fuels and is responsible for nearly one third of the global rise in temperatures.

However, the Japanese government came up short.

Last week, the government issued a policy stating that, “in principle,” it will not finance overseas coal plants for any country that does not have a decarbonization policy. While recognizing that it is new for the Japanese government to say no to coal finance, the policy contains dangerous exceptions allowing financing for so-called “highly efficient” coal technologies and will not apply to coal plants already under consideration.

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According to climate experts, building any new coal plants is inconsistent with meeting the goals of the Paris Agreement and averting catastrophic climate change. Rising sea temperatures have led to more frequent and severe rainstorms, like the current deluge that has left at least 68 people dead in Japan’s southern Kumamoto prefecture.

Last year, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres called on governments in Asia to end their “addiction to coal” and stop fossil fuel subsidies. Guterres recently renewed his calls, urging countries to stop financing coal and pledge to stop building new coal-fired power plants to facilitate a shift towards clean energy.

Instead of taking bold action in line with the global exodus away from coal and taking action to avert the worst impacts of the climate crisis, the Japanese government chose to maintain loopholes that allow continued financing of coal projects. The projects in Japan’s coal financing pipeline have also come under fierce scrutiny for human rights violations, impacts on health and livelihoods and problems with economic viability.

Consider Vung Ang 2 in Vietnam, Indramayu in Indonesia and Matarbari 2 in Bangladesh.

Portugal ends coal burning two years ahead of schedule

Vung Ang 2 drew the consternation of Koizumi who initially called on Japan to reject financing for the project earlier this year. According to financial think tank Carbon Tracker, it is already cheaper in Vietnam to invest in new solar panels than new coal plants. New onshore wind power is expected to become cheaper than coal power by next year.

Groups in Japan and Indonesia recently launched a petition calling on the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to reject financing for the Indramayu coal plant in Indonesia. The project threatens the livelihoods of thousands of farmers and fishermen and is associated with serious human rights violations. The petition says, “the project must not be pushed through at the expense of the livelihoods and environment of the local community, or in exchange for future generations’ opportunities and choices, and global climate”.

The Matarbari 2 coal plant in Bangladesh is also facing opposition. 44 groups in 18 countries issued a letter calling on JICA to reject support for the project. In light of the devastating impacts of Covid-19 and supercyclone Amphan on Bangladesh, groups stated “Simply put, Bangladesh cannot afford another coal-fired power project which is likely to be a stranded asset and need a huge amount of government subsidy.”

Saudi Arabia censors fossil fuel subsidy discussion as G20 host

JICA’s involvement in the Matarbari coal-fired power plants contravenes its climate strategy, which says JICA will support the transformation to a low-carbon society in developing countries in line with the Paris Agreement.

We are deeply disappointed that the Japanese government’s policy on coal still falls short of what is needed to prevent catastrophic climate change. Japan must stop ignoring the demands of communities across Asia and calls across the world to completely and immediately end its overseas coal finance.

Over the last few months, government and corporate officials have signaled their intent to stop financing overseas coal power plants. This is no time for signals. No time for exceptions. The urgency of the climate crisis requires bold leadership and action from governments like Japan. It is time for a swift and just transition to renewable and clean energy that is not only possible but is urgently needed.

The Japanese government has been, and will continue to be, the subject of international criticism until it categorically ends its support for coal-fired power plants.

Lidy Nacpil is the coordinator of the Asian People’s Movement on Debt and Development. Susanne Wong is the coordinator of the No Coal Japan coalition.

The post No time for loopholes: Japan must immediately end all overseas coal finance appeared first on Climate Home News.

Environment minister Shinjirō Koizumi announced the plans on Monday, in a series of online discussions hosted by UN Climate Change.

Negotiators were due to meet this week for preparatory UN climate talks in Bonn, Germany, but the session has been postponed to October, provided it is safe to hold a physical meeting at that time.

Instead, the UN climate secretariat is running a 10-day online event called “June Momentum”, with updates on political and technical progress.

The slippage of the climate negotiating timetable caused by the coronavirus pandemic means there will be a near two-year gap between UN summits. The last UN climate talks were held in Madrid, Spain, last December and the upcoming Cop26 has been rescheduled to 1-12 November 2021 in Glasgow, UK.

Campaigners have warned the year-long postponement of Cop26 should not take the pressure off governments to strengthen their climate ambition.

EU €750 billion Covid recovery fund comes with green conditions

Koizumi said Japan would host a virtual ministerial meeting, open to the public, in early September for governments to exchange views on how to use carbon-cutting measures to reboot their economies.

He urged governments to take part in the initiative, saying invitations to contribute to the platform and join the meeting will be sent out “as soon as possible”.

“Our hope is to maintain international momentum on enhanced climate actions to pave the way for the success of Cop26,” he said.

“We should first reaffirm that economic recovery must not leave climate action behind. A virtuous cycle of environmental protection and economic growth will be a core part of the recovery strategy.”

Since taking office in September 2019, Koizumi, the charismatic son of a former prime minister who has been tipped as a future premier himself, has been a vocal proponent for stronger climate action on the international scene.

At the last UN talks, he said Japan would have to review its 2030 climate target and answered criticisms of its coal policy by pointing to a review of financing for coal projects overseas.

Japan sticks to 2030 climate goals, accused of a ‘disappointing’ lack of ambition

Japan relies on coal for more than a third of its power generation needs and is planning to build new coal power plants. It also funds more oil, gas and coal projects abroad than any other government.

Tokyo simply reaffirmed its 2030 emission-cutting pledge towards the Paris Agreement earlier this year, rather than raising ambition, to the disappointment of climate advocates. Koizumi has claimed it was not the government’s “intention to leave the national target level as it is” and it would submit additional information by Cop26.

Countries are due to submit updated 2030 climate plans to the UN before the end of the year. A major step up in ambition would be needed to hold global heating “well below 2C”, as agreed in Paris.

Only a handful of countries, including the Marshall Islands, Norway, Moldova, Chile and Rwanda, have increased their climate plans so far.

Speaking on the first day of the “June Momentum”, head of UN Climate Change Patricia Espinosa insisted the Cop26 delay did not push back the deadline for countries to submit revised climate plans before 31 December.

“2020 remains a critical year,” she said. “Coronavirus has not changed the need for nations to fulfil their commitments under the Paris Agreement. Every day that passes without higher ambition, we are closer to a tragedy.”

Espinosa said the Paris Agreement and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals gave governments “a very solid blueprint” for the Covid-19 recovery but would require “a lot of hard work”.

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In practice, it remains unclear how the UN and the UK Cop26 presidency team will influence  governments’ recovery plans to ensure they don’t lock in fossil fuel dependence, without the political pressure of a climate summit this year.

Selwin Hart, UN special advisor on climate action, said governments’ decisions on how to stimulate the economy and create jobs will be “some of the most consequential decisions ever made in the history of mankind”.

Cop26 president designate Alok Sharma, who is also involved in coordinating the UK’s response to the coronavirus crisis as the country’s business minister, said the summit could be “that moment when the world unites behind a green and – I think really importantly – a fair recovery”.

“There are very large numbers of people across the world that want to see this green recovery and there is opportunity for us to show that technology can drive that green recovery forwards,” he said in response to a question from Climate Home News about how to galvanise political will.

To keep the momentum on climate diplomacy, Sharma said his team was working on a roadmap to convene countries at key moments in the 16 months ahead of the summit. These include G7 and G20 summits, hosted by the UK and its Cop26 co-president Italy respectively, the World Bank annual meeting and a biodiversity summit in China.

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Japan, the first G7 industrialised nation to submit an updated climate action plan known as a “Nationally Determined Contribution” this year, said it would “continue to aim at resolutely achieving” its goal set in 2015 of reducing its greenhouse gas emissions by 26% by 2030 from 2013 levels.

Its submission to the UN also said it “will pursue further efforts both in the medium and long-term to reduce greenhouse gas emissions beyond this level”. It comes at a time when governments around the world are overwhelmed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Laurence Tubiana, who was an architect of the 2015 Paris Agreement as France’s climate ambassador, welcomed Japan’s submission but said it was “disappointing to see the government has not increased its ambition in response to the climate crisis”.

Britain is due to host a critical climate summit in Glasgow in November – providing the coronavirus crisis is over by then – to rally far more global action at the first five-year milestone of the Paris Agreement. Countries are under pressure to submit tougher climate plans to limit climate change that the UN calls an existential threat to humanity.

A UK government spokesperson told Climate Home News it had taken note of Japan’s “technical NDC submission” but expected Tokyo to come up with a more ambitious plan ahead of the summit.

“We are clear on the need for increased ambition from all countries, particularly from G7 partners. We hope to see a further submission that includes an increase in Japan’s headline target ahead of Cop26.”

Green bailouts? – Climate Weekly

Tubiana said that other nations such as European Union members, China, the UK and South Korea were moving towards a low-carbon economy and could leave Japan behind in “the high-tech race of this century”.

“At one of the most challenging times of recent memory, we need bolder, mutually reinforcing plans that protect our societies from the global risks we all face,” Tubiana, who is now CEO of the European Climate Foundation, said in a statement.

2019 was the second warmest year on record, behind 2016, with severe wildfires, bleachings of coral reefs and an accelerating thaw of ice in Greenland and Antarctica that is pushing up world sea levels. Last year, UN Secretary General António Guterres urged the world to cut emissions by 45% by 2030, and for developed nations to lead the way.

Christiana Figueres, who was head of the UN Climate Change secretariat at the time of the Paris Agreement, praised Japanese companies including business conglomerate Marubeni for moving away from fossil fuels. But she said the government’s NDC fell short.

“The new NDC limits the scope for Japan to meet the goals required by science, desired by humanity and committed to by its government in Paris. I hope this announcement does not hinder further leadership from the private sector in Japan,” she said in a statement.

Governments urged to attach green strings to long-term coronavirus recovery plans

“When the world is learning through the Covid-19 pandemic that we need to work together to tackle global threats like climate change, it’s disappointing to see Japan not learning this lesson,” Mohamed Adow, director of the Nairobi-based think tank Power Shift Africa, said in a statement.

Japan says its industries such as steel, cars or cement have historically been more efficient than major rivals, partly because of its dependence on energy imports. Tokyo says that limits its ability to make deep cuts compared to other, less efficient, economies.

It originally submitted its NDC climate action plan in July 2015. Since then, the document said that Japan had reduced its greenhouse gas emissions for four consecutive years, from 2014-2017.

The submission also added that revisions to Japan’s NDC “will be carried out consistently with the revision of the energy mix” rather than having to wait for the next five-year milestone of the Paris accord, when countries will be expected to ratchet-up their plans further.

According to figures included in the submission, coal makes up 26% of Japan’s energy mix on which its NDC is based. Renewable energy makes up 22-24%, nuclear power up to 22% and liquefied natural gas about 27%.

A report published by Oil Change International earlier this year, also found that Japan’s export credit agency provided more support to oil, gas and coal projects abroad than any other government – an estimated $7.8 billion annually.

Coronavirus: in Hawaii’s air, scientists seek signs of economic shock on CO2 levels

In 2019, Japan also submitted a long-term strategy to cut emissions by mid-century to the UN.

Monday’s document said that long-term plan aimed to achieve “a ‘decarbonised society’ as close as possible to 2050 with disruptive innovations” such as artificial photosynthesis – a process used by plants to make food while absorbing carbon dioxide – and hydrogen.

Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions totalled the equivalent of 1.23 billion tonnes of carbon dioxide in 2017, up 2.04% from the UN base year of 1990. They have declined from 1.34 billion in 2013.

Only four nations have submitted more ambitious climate plans to the UN so far – the Marshall Islands, Suriname, Norway and Moldova.

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A study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT), an independent research group, found that CO2 intensity of international shipping had already been reduced by 30% from 2008 levels in 2018.

That year, the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) set a 40% reduction target by 2030.

The paper’s authors suggested widespread “slow-steaming” – a practice that reduces ship’s operational speed and fuel use by not using the engine at full power – was behind the drop in CO2 intensity.

Overcapacity in ship transport supply has caused ship speed to drop by 20% between 2008 and 2015, according to the ICCT.

“This suggests that the 2030 goal may be tightened when International Maritime Organisation (IMO) revises the strategy in 2023,” the report noted.

Dan Rutherford, the ICCT’s programme director for marine and aviation and one of the study’s authors, told Climate Home News the findings pointed “to the need for the IMO to adapt a more stringent 2030 target”.

The report added that ship speeds could rebound by 2030, depending on factors such as the state of global trade, oil prices and freight rates.

The findings were submitted to the IMO on Monday ahead of a round of talks at the end of March.

Marshall Islands, Suriname, Norway upgrade climate plans before Cop26

In 2018, the shipping sector committed to reduce its emissions by at least 50% from 2008 levels by 2050, with efforts to curb carbon intensity of international shipping by 70% by 2050.

International shipping accounts for 2-3% of global emissions but, like aviation, the sector’s emissions are not covered by the Paris Agreement.

Projections by CE Delft for the IMO found that shipping emissions could increase up to 120% by 2050 and, under a business as usual scenario, the sector could account for 10% of global emissions by mid-century.

The IMO is working to finalise measures to support its CO2 intensity reduction goals this year.

Proposals include submissions backed by France and Greece for a speed limit on tankers and bulk carriers. Norway and Japan have also proposed plans that would allow companies to decide how to meet energy efficiency targets by using cleaner fuel or more efficient vessels.

Among Japan’s proposals is a plan to fit ships with engine power limitation devices to indirectly reduce speed and fuel use.

Japan is the world’s third largest ship-owning country and an influential voice inside the IMO. Hideaki Saito, of Japan, chairs the IMO’s Marine Environment Protection Committee (MEPC) – the committee which deals with climate change and emissions reduction issues.

The ICCT study aimed to assess the effectiveness of using engine power limitation to reduce fuel use and CO2 emissions. It concluded that mandatory engine power limitations measures “will not directly reduce fuel use and CO2 emissions” because ships are already operating slower than the proposal’s implied limit.

Engine power limitations measures “would need to be aggressive in order to contribute to the IMO’s climate goals,” the report said.

Campaigners urge African Union to stop fossil fuel proliferation on continent

Research found that limiting engine power by 30% or less would have a negligible impact on emissions and would deliver theoretical on-paper emissions reductions, rather than real-world cuts, Rutherford told CHN.

Only by limiting engine power by more than 50% would the measure lead to more meaningful CO2 reductions, the report said. Halving engine power would reduce emissions of existing fleets of about 3% compared with business as usual, taking into account 2018 speed and different types of ships.

Increasing that number to 60%, would reduce emissions of the global fleet by about 6%, according to the ICCT. However, such reduction of engine power would “begin affecting significant numbers of [ship’s] operational hours” the study noted.

In contrast, research funded by the EU Commission found restricting ship speed by 20% below 2012 levels could achieve up to 34% of CO2 emissions reduction by 2030.

John Maggs, president of the Clean Shipping Coalition and senior policy advisor at Seas at Risk, accused Japan of leading a “ignore-the-science coalition”.

“In a technical-sounding debate about ‘short-term measures’, Japan is proposing CO2 rules that are weak, opaque, and will fail to actually cut emissions,” he said.

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Across the sector, some companies and shipping associations have shown appetite for more ambitious climate targets.

In reflections published at the start of the year, Bimco, one of the world’s largest shipping association representing ship owners, said “substantial gains” in emissions reduction had been made since 2008.

“It is, therefore, not a question of if the shipping industry will meet the IMO 2030 objective of achieving 40% carbon efficiency improvements over 2008, but about what the target should be increased to in 2023 when the IMO adopts its final greenhouse gas reduction strategy,” it said.

Bimco was also part of a coalition of shipping association that proposed the creation of an emissions reduction research and development programme funded via a mandatory contribution of £2 per tonne of marine fuel oil purchased for consumption by ships – a move campaigners said fell far short of the need to cut emissions.

Maersk, the world’s largest container shipping company, has pledged to achieve carbon neutrality in its operations by 2050 and to have developed commercially viable carbon neutral vessels by 2030.

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The draft communique, seen by Climate Home News, follows a G20 environment ministerial last week in which all countries but the US reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the Paris Agreement.

The document shows efforts from Japan to build consensus with the US at a time when the two countries are negotiating a trade deal. But other G20 members, including the European Union, are expected to push for more ambitious language even at the expense of US endorsement.

Since Donald Trump’s inauguration, G20 leaders have been unable to reach an agreement on climate and have instead adopted a “G19+1” approach, with the US reiterating its intention to withdraw from the Paris Agreement in a separate statement in the text.

“What is different from previous years is the degree to which Japan is caving in to the US,” said Luca Bergamaschi, senior associate at think-tank E3G. “To have a single G20 position [on climate] would be farcical because there is no consensus.”

Four countries have declared climate emergencies, yet give billions to fossil fuels

The text may change before its release at the meeting, which opens in Osaka on Friday. The draft stops short of fully endorsing the implementation of the Paris Agreement, instead welcoming progress made in establishing its rulebook and anticipating “successful outcomes” at the next round of UN climate talks in December.

This is unlike last year’s G20 communique, in which all members except the US agreed that the Paris Agreement was “irreversible”.

The draft text does not mention the decarbonisation of the global economy nor efforts to limit global temperature rise to avoid runaway climate change.

Instead, it recognises the need for “addressing global challenges, including climate change” and calls for “all available technologies” to be considered.

“This is quite dangerous,” said Bergamaschi, adding it opened the door for countries like the US and Japan to promote so-called “clean coal” technologies. “It puts [all technologies] on the same level and that makes the text quite problematic.”

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Japan is one of the largest providers of public finance for coal technology exports, spending on average $5.2 billion a year, according to a recent report by the Overseas Development Institute.

Although G20 members committed in 2009 to phase out “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies, the report found their total subsidies to coal-fired power plants nearly tripled from an annual average of $17.2 billion 2013-14 to $47.3 billion 2016-17.

Campaigners in Japan are organising protests to coincide with the opening of the G20 summit on Friday. Kimiko Hirata, director of Kiko Network Japan, accused President Shinzo Abe of being “full of hot air” when it comes to his pledges on climate action.

Last week, major Japanese companies including Sony and Fujitsu called on the government to source half of its electricity from renewables by 2030 – doubling its current target of 22-24%.

Ahead of the start of the summit, Japan’s cabinet approved a plan to achieve carbon neutrality “at the earliest possible time” after 2050, setting out to innovate in areas such as hydrogen and carbon dioxide capture and utilisation.

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The executive director vacancy at the Green Climate Fund has been openly advertised, with a 12 December deadline for applications. Japan’s foreign ministry took the unusual move this week of publicly nominating an experienced diplomat, Kenichi Suganuma, to the role.

Kaoru Magosaki, a climate change official at Japan’s foreign ministry, told Climate Home News the country wanted to see its $1.5 billion contribution spent wisely.

“Given that we are the largest donor… in that sense we have the largest responsibility to secure the fund’s smooth operation, both in regards to the international community and those who are taxpayers as well,” he said, speaking on the sidelines of Cop24 climate talks in Katowice, Poland.

Touting Japan’s financial clout is provocative, however, on a board set up to give developing countries an equal say on where the money goes.

South African board member Zaheer Fakir said it was for the board to select the executive director based on agreed criteria. The amount of money contributed “holds no weight” in that decision, he told CHN.

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It comes at a critical time for the fund, which is a beacon of cooperation between rich and poor countries to tackle climate change. After a July meeting collapsed in acrimony, the board regrouped in October and agreed to launch a fundraising drive.

The next executive director will be under pressure to slash paperwork demands, speed up the flow of money and show results – all while navigating fraught boardroom politics. In parallel, the board is set to appoint a “facilitator” for the replenishment process.

The GCF reached the bottom of its $10.2bn start-up capital faster than expected, after Donald Trump reneged on $2bn of the US pledge and currency fluctuations hit the value of the remainder. It has allocated $4.6bn to projects in the developing world that cut carbon or build resilience to the impacts of climate change.

Germany was the first to pledge new cash, doubling its contribution to €1.5 billion ($1.7bn). Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, on the other hand, has declared he will not “tip money” into the fund.

Japan is reserving judgment until it sees a performance review, said Magosaki. “We have to secure the accountability of the secretariat. They will probably have to speak out a bit more about their achievements. We have not heard back quite enough for the justification of $1.5 billion yet.”

The moment of truth will come in the third quarter of 2019, when developed countries will be expected to put up money at a pledging summit.

Meanwhile Russia is preparing to make its first donation, an adviser to the delegation told CHN.

As an “economy in transition”, Russia is not obliged to provide climate finance to the developing world under the UN framework. For years, it has been dangling the prospect of a voluntary contribution to the GCF.

Now the country is finalising the legal arrangements to transfer “a few million” dollars to the fund in the next few days, said the adviser, who asked not to be named. That would give it a say in the discussions.

While he could not say whether Russia was seeking a seat on the fund’s board, the adviser suggested the country was well placed to mediate rich-poor disputes. “What we saw [in July] was a standoff between one side of the table and the other side of the table and we really think that Russia… can help to bridge the gap,” he said.

UN secretary general Antonio Guterres expressed support for reform and replenishment at a press conference in Katowice on Tuesday. “The GCF needs improved management to be more effective, but it also needs funds,” he said.

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The Tokyo 2020 Olympics organising committee has confirmed that 87% of the plywood panels used to build its new national stadium come from southeast Asian rainforests.

But the timber cannot be traced back to its original source under the committees’s certification protocols, which have been censured by campaigners for a lack of due diligence.

The admission, posted posted online earlier this month followed a request by 44 NGOs in December 2016 for assurances that timber used in Olympic projects would not be “illegal, unsustainable or linked to human rights violations”.

Peg Putt, a spokeswoman for Markets For Change, welcomed the Tokyo 2020 committee’s disclosure, but said that it confirmed her group’s worst fears.

“We are appalled by the substantial volume of tropical wood that has been used thus far and by the glaring lack of due diligence exercised to ensure the sustainability and legality of the wood being used,” she said.

The committee had “failed to provide meaningful assurance that the timber used for Olympics construction was harvested legally and sustainably,” she added. “It exposes the massive extent of irresponsible procurement.”

Plywood being used in Japan’s Olympic construction projects is mostly for formwork or moulds – into which concrete is poured once or twice, before being disposed of. Of itself, environmentalists see this as a wasteful use of tropical wood.

On paper, the Tokyo committee’s sustainable sourcing code requires that the timber it uses is legal, planned, and “considerate” towards ecosystems, indigenous peoples and workers, who should be appropriately protected.

However, it has no obligation for full traceability back to the forest of origin, even when timber is sourced from high risk countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia.

Hana Heineken, a senior campaigner for Rainforest Action Network, said: “The overwhelming majority of wood used [in the Tokyo stadium] was uncertified plywood extracted from tropical rainforests in Indonesia, an epicentre of biodiversity that is suffering from one of the world’s highest rates of deforestation.”

A further 3% of the panels used came from Malaysian plywood, supplied by companies such as Shin Yang, which has been linked to destructive and potentially illegal logging practices.

In 2017, indigenous leaders from the Malaysian section of Borneo called on the Tokyo committee to stop sourcing timber from the forests of Sarawak because of the industry’s impact on traditional lands and life.

Indonesia and Malaysia were among the top 10 countries suffering dense tree cover loss in 2016, much of it linked to oil palm, pulp and paper industries. 

Around the world, an area of forest the size of New Zealand – 29.7m hectares – disappeared that year, the highest level on record. 

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Backed with €1 million from the Dutch government and further support from Japan and the UN Environment Programme, the project is being billed as an adaptation skills-hub.

“I’m not looking for a theoretical institute,” Dutch environment minister Sharon Dijksma told Climate Home, stressing the need to ramp up support for at-risk countries.

“If Bangladesh asks us for help in making an adaptation programme we could support it by organising that – we know a lot about combatting rising sea levels.”

Other areas of focus are likely to include climate resilient crops, water management and the potential to use new technologies to boost farming efficiency, she said.

These kind of preparations are essential for vulnerable and developing countries given the projected impacts of climate change, highlighted in a 2014 report from the UN IPCC climate science panel.

#Russia has just started work on a #climate adaptation plan due in 2018, reports Olga Dobrovidova @thegreendrafts https://t.co/vSMwHD7P9N

— Climate Home News (@ClimateHome) February 7, 2017

The €1 million funding would not reduce the Netherlands support for global adaptation projects it is committed to, but it could help leverage more funding for an under-resourced issue, Dijksma stressed.

“We [developed countries] made a promise to deliver $100 billion by 2020 and this will not prevent that, but €1m here could have a multiplier effect far bigger than that,” she said.

Of the $367 billion directed towards climate-rated projects in 2014, just $27 billion was allocated for adaptation, a Climate Policy Initiative study revealed in late 2016.

Bangladeshi climate adaptation expert Saleemul Huq welcomed the initiative, and urged the centre to take advantage of his country’s deep knowledge of community based adaptation.

“Setting up a global centre of excellence on adaptation to climate change in the Netherlands is an excellent initiative as they have a lot of experience in structural adaptation solutions,” he added.

“This needs to be a centre that genuinely supports, empowers and benefits those on the ground, with locally-relevant and people-centred solutions,” said Harjeet Singh, ActionAid’s global climate change lead.

“We hope that this initiative will also help strengthen national and regional institutions in vulnerable countries, which are still in dire need of resources for research and implementation.”

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Revenge against everything liberal and everything Obama in his puerile attempt to call the shots. Richard Branson may be feeling his sage advice did nothing to change him.

In my view, at least as far as this inaugural period is concerned, he is acting so much more driven by an ardent urge to show off his presidency and nullify Obama than by his conviction against climate science and climate actions.

The decisions on two oil pipelines, gag order to the EPA, elimination of climate pages from websites of the White House are very serious indeed, but may look like belonging to this revenge category.

What will come after this inaugural period is most serious as it will reflect his personal core. Is he really anti-climate and opposed to energy transition?  Is he rotten to the core?

First, the property developer knows barely anything about climate change let alone basic energy issues. Just see this article and see how he is completely out of his depth on energy.

…Back in late May Robert Murray, the CEO of the major US coal producer Murray Energy, told a coal industry conference that the week before he had been summoned by Donald Trump to discuss energy policy options. Murray, who has a long history of generously funding Republican candidates, was happy to oblige as Trump had become the presumptive Republican nominee.

Murray recounted he suggested Trump should help increase US Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) exports in order to reduce the domestic gas glut.

Murray, who has no interests in US gas production, wasn’t being charitable towards another industry struggling with low prices. The domestic gas glut has driven domestic prices down so far coal has become uncompetitive. Exporting gas currently consumed domestically would simply ensure less competition for Murray Energy’s coal.

Murray said Trump liked the idea but asked “What’s LNG?”

Despite Trump’s rudimentary understanding of energy issues Murray told SNL Trump was “the horse to ride” in the campaign for US President.

And ride he did….

From my small vantage point, he is a “malleable piece of clay” (Frank Bruni NYT). He is not a man of deep conviction. He’s not a man of principle.

It may (or might remotely) be possible that once he hits the pale, once he felt fullness after a streak of revenge, he would then move to another pathological spasm: burning ache for winning adulation, adoration and acclaim.

He derided the intelligence community and then visited the CIA to appease them.

Many things could happen from here. We must keep our fingers crossed. Rex Tillerson could play a role (despite his half climate conviction) in bringing his boss from his parochial intoxication to the reality.

However strongly and strenuously he brags he is the best on all issues, he can’t beat the harsh market reality that coal is being defeated, renewables are on the rise and all what BNEF and its ilk are reporting is the new truth, not alt-truth or alternative facts.

#Trump timeline: tracking the US #climate action crackdown https://t.co/4Nk9HhR8Ys

— Climate Home News (@ClimateHome) January 25, 2017

POTUS also should be reminded that his plan to deliver old jobs to the Rust Belts by digging coal and scrapping regulations in favor of fossil industries would only allow enterprises to use age-old and non-competitive technologies.

President Trump said he would be “the greatest job producer God ever created”.

But those jobs are not going to be high tech innovations and do not ensure the future of the US. It’s only that those folks who lost their jobs get back to the old assembly lines. How can one boast about all this invoking God? How is this to make America great again if at all?

He must be reminded that the whole gamut of clean energy technologies provides finer and better paying jobs that won’t flee beyond borders.

He must be reminded that the whole new life style and new sustainable socio-economic structure, new thriving clean economy, beautiful and efficient urbanization and new nimble transport are capable of pushing the US (and world) economy forward with the same vigour and increased job opportunities.

NEW: Trump planning review of UN treaties, funding – report https://t.co/jn6SsWGFwe #climate #UNFCCC

— Climate Home News (@ClimateHome) January 25, 2017

Moving on to the international context, I think all great climate leaders are today saying this is the time the rest of the world keeps its strongest climate and energy front.

The rest of the world must tell him planetary conditions are not negotiable. The global community must reject his business strategy to punish adversaries and bring them to his knees.

This is not acceptable when it comes to the living conditions of our grandchildren. I was writing in Japanese media that if the US drops out, China would surely take the leadership. In Davos, President Xi said he would.

I welcome this and wish them tell the world loudly enough to be audible to all Americans. China may be beholden to coal now, but it aims at new civilization which is devoid of fossil fuels.

China intends to be the top leader and supplier of all modern innovative clean technologies and make them available to the poorest part of the world. China avant-garde and the US retro-garde.

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Lastly on the future of the Paris Agreement. You know and I know that many American politicians hate global systems. They think international bureaucracy comes at the expense of national interest.

Trump Administration is now sounding a possibility of bilateral free trade agreement in place of the TPP. To the extent this is the harbinger of their new thinking/strategy, the US might be amenable to a climate regime with fewer associates if I dare err on the side of extreme optimism.

A club idea put forward by my friend, Nat Keohane might provide a light through a dark tunnel.

I have also been advocating a new trading scheme with major emitters (30 countries with 90% of the global emissions).

This can save the planet from warming of above 2C and can be executed without scrapping the PA.

Mutsuyoshi Nishimura is Japan’s former climate ambassador and was special advisor to the cabinet on climate change

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Japan’s government plans to present the deal to Parliament in the autumn, a senior official told the Japan Today website.

“We don’t have to revise any domestic laws for the ratification and we are not expecting any strong opposition,” they said.

In a statement published on the New Zealand government website climate minister Paula Bennett said it would ratify the deal before November’s UN climate summit in Marrakech, Morocco.

“This is an ambitious target that won’t be easy for New Zealand to achieve. All parts of society have a part to play in the transition to a lower emissions economy, from central and local government through to businesses and communities,” she said.

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Japan is the world’s seventh largest carbon polluter, accounting for nearly 3% of global emissions. New Zealand accounts for 0.15% of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to 2010 EU data.

The news boosts hopes that a critical mass of support from 55 countries covering 55% of global greenhouse gas emissions will be met to allow the 2015 treaty to come into force.

So far a mixture of 22 small island states and developing countries representing 1.09% of global emissions have ratified the agreement, with the US, China, Brazil and India expected to sign up later this year.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon has invited world leaders to a 21 September ceremony in New York on the sidelines of the General Assembly to formally join.

Massive. TdB https://t.co/OfSuROSG1P

— Tony de Brum (@TonydeBrum) August 17, 2016

Still, experts and campaigners say both Japan and New Zealand will need to adopt far tougher climate targets if the world is to avoid dangerous levels of global warming.

“New Zealand’s commitment is not in line with any interpretations of a “fair” approach to reach a 2C pathway: if most other countries followed the New Zealand approach, global warming would exceed 3–4C,” a report by analysts at Climate Action Tracker warned.

“What part of new roads, oil and gas exploration, solar taxes and intensive dairying will help us reach the Paris target?” said Kate Simcock from Greenpeace New Zealand.

“We’ve seen no sign from this Government that it’s willing to take the climate threat seriously or pull its weight globally.”

Analysis: Japan isolated as G7 eyes tougher climate targets

Meanwhile Japan, which has invested heavily in fossil fuels and moved away from nuclear energy since the 2011 Fukushima disaster, stands accused of a “coal binge” say green groups.

The government is alone among G7 members in planning to boost coal use, with 25 gigawatts of capacity in line for construction according to UK think tank E3G.

“Continued construction of unabated coal fired power plants are not compatible with the climate commitments it made in the Paris Agreement,” said E3G’s Chris Littlecott in a report this May.

According to NASA July was the hottest since records began in 1880, and the 10th consecutive month where global temperatures topped previous highs.

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Despite a coal capacity double that of other G7 members at 288 gigawatts, the US topped the scorecard due to its domestic and international efforts to limit coal use.

More the 100GW of coal-fired capacity is now slated for closure stateside, according to the report, while Washington’s climate diplomacy has turned the screw on overseas financing of the world’s most carbon-intensive fossil fuel.

France and the UK tied in second, reflecting what the report terms “positive government interventions” since the scorecard’s last publication in October 2015.

The study comes days before G7 leaders are due to meet in Toyama, Japan from 26-27 May, amid a growing campaign from green groups against the Abe administration’s energy plans.

(Pic: E3G)

E3G delivered a rebuke to Tokyo’s goal for more than 25GW of new coal capacity, which has not changed in the light of the UN’s newly agreed pact to slash greenhouse gas emissions.

“Continued construction of unabated coal fired power plants are not compatible with the climate commitments it made in the Paris Agreement,” wrote the report’s author Chris Littlecott.

The government was still actively investing in overseas coal plants, he said, and was displaying a reluctance to invest in nascent carbon capture technology to suck up fossil fuel emissions.

Lacking significant domestic energy reserves, Japan’s coal use has risen markedly since the 2011 Fukushima disaster and decision to shift away from nuclear power.

According to data from the US Energy Information Administration it’s the world’s top liquefied natural gas, second largest coal and third biggest oil importer.

Green groups’ G7 wishlist
-Commit to and deliver 2050 climate and development plans
-Outline strategy for boosting climate finance by 2020
-Offer more capacity-building support to developing countries
-Underline common goal to squeeze out coal power

Abroad, green groups say Japan’s continued funding for coal plants in Indonesia, Myanmar and the Philippines demonstrates the government is not taking its climate commitments seriously.

In a letter published last week, 80 civil society organizations asked prime minister Abe to support a G7 commitment to end all fossil fuel financing by 2017.

“It is a time to make G7’s public finance flows consistent with the goal of 1.5-2 degree Celsius agreed in Paris,” said Yuki Tanabe, coordinator at Japan Center for Sustainable Environment and Society.

Separately, 82 organisations representing 300,000 medical professionals in 30 countries signed a Global Health Statement calling for the G7 to lead a “transition away from coal”.

A significant number of the 3.7 million deaths each year from air pollution can be linked to coal burning, the statement said.

“Coal not only produces carbon, micro-pollutants and many other substances toxic to humans, but it is grossly inefficient when compared to renewable energy sources,” said Dr James Orbinski, Professor and Research Chair in Global Health at the BSIA School of International Affairs, Laurier University Canada.

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Urban haze masking the Tokyo skyline (Pic: Pixabay)

By Ed King

Japan’s hopes of meeting its 2030 climate goal rest on technology development, ramping up energy efficiency and restarting some of its mothballed fleet of nuclear power plants.

Speaking to media on Tuesday, environment minister Tamayo Marukawa said the government expects to sign off on the plan in May, which aims to slash greenhouse gas emissions 26% on 2013 levels by 2030.

“It also includes an 80% cut by 2050 as a long-term target,” said Marukawa in quotes reported by Bloomberg. “It is very significant that we can show our determination to make contributions after the Paris Agreement,” he added.

Despite a notable rise in solar capacity, future emission cuts will depend on how swiftly the country can scale back coal consumption.

Report: Japan accused of ‘sleight of hand’ in climate targets

In the wake of the 2011 Fukushima disaster Japan mothballed its fleet of nuclear reactors, relying on fossil fuel imports to meet energy demand.

But last week prime minister Shinzo Abe said these would need to be switched back on to meet energy demand.

“Our resource-poor country cannot do without nuclear power to secure the stability of energy supply while considering what makes economic sense and the issue of climate change,” he said.

Report: Japan, Germany, Korea fuelling growth of coal power

In 2014 the world’s sixth largest carbon polluter reported a 10% leap in emissions on 1990 levels as a result of a spike in coal use.

Around 40 new coal power plants are planned up to 2030, according to the Global Coal Plant Tracker.

“The main concern is measures on emissions from coal power plants,” Yukari Takamura, a climate policy expert who helped draft the climate plans told Carbon Pulse.

“Since construction of many new coal plants are planned, the government will put in place some regulatory measures but, I suppose, with quite weak enforcement.”

The post Japan fleshes out Paris climate change plan appeared first on Climate Home News.

(Pic: UN Photos)

By Ed King

Ban Ki-moon and Angela Merkel’s discussions on the prospects for a new global climate pact were recorded by US spies, according to new cables released by Wikileaks.

Communications between the UN secretary general and German chancellor in late 2008 – just after the election of President Barack Obama – saw both parties hoping for more US climate ambition.

“Ban… maintained that since the new U.S. administration will have a very engaging and proactive attitude on the issue, the time is right for the EU and the whole world to create conditions necessary for reaching a meaningful deal at the 2009 UN Climate Talks,” reads one cable.

“Both Ban and Merkel favoured holding a mini-summit in early 2009 to involve the new U.S. administration, believing that it is important to get a clear idea of U.S. intentions. Merkel believed that the climate-change issue should be discussed at the heads-of-state level, otherwise it would not work.”

(Pic: Wikileaks)

US spies also targeted Germany’s communications with Japan on climate change, with Berlin’s top G8 negotiator admitting the government had bowed to Washington’s demands to water down proposed carbon cuts.

“In response to a U.S. request, his country would likely give up its demand for a 25- to 45-percent mid-term carbon dioxide reduction,” the cable read.

The two notes are part of a larger body of intercepts released by the Wikileaks organisation, most dating from 2008-2010.

They illustrate the level of importance the US diplomatic service placed on the global climate talks, and the degree to which they had penetrated rival countries’ communication systems.

The 2009 UN climate summit in Copenhagen ended in diplomatic disaster, with an acrimonious ‘Accord’ eventually agreed among most countries after fierce haggling. It took five years of intense talks before the world eventually signed off on a global pact in Paris.

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A member of the International Atomic Energy Agency surveys the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station on a 2015 visit to discuss decommissioning plans with the Japanese government (Credit: Susanna Loof / IAEA)

By Alex Pashley

As aides escorted him past swaying chandeliers to a panic room, the mind of Japan’s prime minister flashed to his country’s seaside nuclear power stations. 

Tremors in Tokyo meant tsunamis, Naoto Kan, a physics graduate, feared. It was 11 March 2011.

The next day 250km north-east of the capital, three reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi plant went into meltdown as cooling systems failed.

Large explosions shot radioactive materials into the atmosphere following a barrage by 20-metre waves. Over 100,000 residents were evacuated.

Under worst case scenarios, the fallout could affect 50 million citizens – and envelop the capital – specialists informed the leader. 

“Only a great world war would have had the same impact,” Kan, now an opposition lawmaker, told an anti-nuclear event in the UK Parliament on Thursday.

“My thoughts on nuclear power changed 180 degrees. The country would go down in ruin,” said Kan, a youthful man despite his 69 years.

Six months later he had resigned, public support for atomic energy bombed, and Japan resorted to ramping up fossil fuel imports as its 54 reactors were shut down.

Report: Japan delivers 26% emissions reduction plan to UN

It was an impassioned first hand account of the dangers of nuclear from a man who presided over the country’s worst national event since the bombing of Nagasaki in 1945.

His speech as part of a panel on Thursday was timely. March 13 will mark the fifth anniversary of the accident, which some scientists say is the most catastrophic nuclear disaster in history.

Only Chernobyl – which will mark 30 years on April 26 – shares the maximum level-7 rating on a sliding scale. Mikhail Gorbachev – Russia’s leader at the time of the disaster  – was also due to give his account, but cancelled due to health concerns.

The event was a bid to instruct UK energy policy as it plans to builds its first nuclear station for a generation. Nuclear is touted as a lower carbon source of reliable baseload power.

Interest in the implications of a renewed nuclear power programme here is high. Forty MPs were registered to attend the event, said organisers.

The economics might still defeat the case for the £18bn ($26bn) Hinkley Point C reactor in Somerset, but do not underestimate the risks, the panel which included a Japanese policy researcher, a manager of a Fukushima evacuees centre and a UK academic, said.

Rates of thyroid cancer in young people are beginning to climb in Fukushima, just as they were found to in Chernobyl, the panel said. How to tackle nuclear waste is unresolved, and the benefits in tackling global warming are lower than stated.

“Don’t consider Fukushima as something that could never never happen to you. It could,” said Yoshiko Aoki, who runs a centre for evacuees 10km from the site.

Abandoned gas masks in the deserted site of Chernobly (Flickr/ Tim Suess)

Britain’s seven nuclear power stations supply 19% of its electricity, according to the Nuclear Industry Association. The government is mulling eight potential sites for new plants, the BBC reports.

A 2013 World Health Organisation report said there was a 4% higher chance of solid cancers for females exposed as infants in Fukushima. There had been no observed risk to the the general Japanese population and abroad, and predicted effects were “low”.

Still, nuclear is a flawed response to tackle climate change said Paul Dorfman, a professor at UCL’s Energy Institute and founder of the Nuclear Consulting Group.

“Nuclear is based on the coast or inland by water for cooling purposes. The first places that will be affected [by climate change] according to the Institute of Mechanical Engineers will be coastal regions,” he told Climate Home.

And a long planning process meant they wouldn’t come online early enough to significantly cut emissions, added Dorfman, who argued official assessments of the radiation threats from Hinkley, ran by French utility EDF had been downplayed. 

Safety over new reactors cannot be guaranteed he said, and the UK government was only insured up to $134 million in the event of an accident, whereas the Fukushima clean-up operation may cost $100-200 billion.

Report: Japan bucks trend as G7 quits coal

Away from the UK, China plans to build 40 plants. Other emerging nations like South Africa and India are also looking to harness the power of the atom.

The newly-inked Paris agreement’s exacting carbon reduction targets would appear to give a fillip to this energy source, with greenhouse gases needing to fall to zero by 2100.

But former PM Kan was unequivocal. Renewable power from solar and wind was the best solution to tackle carbon emissions. 

Japan whose emissions spiked as it imported natural gas and coal to fill its nuclear hole, could deploy enough solar photovoltaic cells to replace its atomic fleet within 5-10 years, he claimed. 

Tetsunari Iida of the Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies beamed of 200 communities installing solar panels in a new bottom-up “energy democracy”. But Japan, like any other, is not immune to political realities.

The Abe government, which has turned 2 reactors back on, intends for nuclear to supply 20-22% of electricity in 2030. Solar is forecast to account for just 7%, though analysts at Bloomberg New Energy Finance predict it slightly higher at 12%, still a fraction.

But scarred by the prospect of a catastrophic nuclear accident, any alternative is better, the panel said.

As the government declares certain zones safe, and evacuees return to rebuild after five years of a life displaced, Aoki of the evacuees centre warned.

“You don’t want to be apologising to your own children or grandchildren for making a big mistake… Please learn from Fukushima,” she said.

The post As memory of Chernobyl, Fukushima fades, activists renew nuclear warning appeared first on Climate Home News.

Pacific Heron, one of the two ships moored in England before heading to transport plutonium (Pic: CORE)

By Paul Brown

Two armed ships set off from the northwest of England this week to sail round the world to Japan on a secretive and controversial mission to collect a consignment of plutonium and transport it to the US.

The cargo of plutonium, once the most sought-after and valuable substance in the world, is one of a number of ever-growing stockpiles that are becoming an increasing financial and security embarrassment to the countries that own them.

So far, there is no commercially viable use for this toxic metal, and there is increasing fear that plutonium could fall into the hands of terrorists, or that governments could be tempted to use it to join the nuclear arms race.

All the plans to use plutonium for peaceful purposes in fast breeder and commercial reactors have so far failed to keep pace with the amounts of this highly-dangerous radioactive metal being produced by the countries that run nuclear power stations.

The small amounts of plutonium that have been used in conventional and fast breeder reactors have produced very little electricity − at startlingly high costs.

Out of harm’s way

Japan, with its 47-ton stockpile, is among the countries that once hoped to turn their plutonium into a power source, but various attempts have failed. The government, which has a firm policy of using it only for peaceful purposes, has nonetheless come under pressure to keep it out of harm’s way. Hence, the current plan to ship it to the US.

Altogether, 15 countries across the world have stockpiles. They include North Korea, which hopes to turn it into nuclear weapons.

The UK has the largest pile, with 140 tons held at Sellafield in north-west England, where plutonium has been produced at the site’s nuclear power plant since the 1950s. The government has yet to come up with a policy on what to do with it – and, meanwhile, the costs of keeping it under armed guard continue to rise.

Like most countries, the UK cannot decide whether it has an asset or a liability. The plutonium does not appear on any balance sheet, and the huge costs of storing it safely − to avoid it going critical and causing a meltdown − and guarding it against terrorists are not shown as a cost of nuclear power.

Report: Taiwan election points to nuclear phase-out by 2023

This enables the industry to claim that nuclear is an attractive and clean energy-producing option to help combat climate change.

The two ships that set off from the English port of Barrow-in-Furness this week are the Pacific Egret and Pacific Heron, nuclear fuel carriers fitted with naval cannon on deck. They are operated by Pacific Nuclear Transport Ltd, which ultimately is owned by the British government.

The presence on both ships of a heavily-armed security squad − provided by the Civil Nuclear Constabulary’s Strategic Escort Group − and the earlier loading of stores and the craning on board of live ammunition point to a long, security-conscious voyage ahead.

The shipment of plutonium from Japan to the US falls under the US-led Global Threat Reduction Initiative (GTRI), or Material Management & Minimisation (M3) programme, whereby weapons-useable material such as plutonium and highly-enriched uranium (HEU) is removed from facilities worldwide for safekeeping in the US.

Report: ‘Renegade’ UK physicists say they’re on fast track to nuclear fusion

The cargo to be loaded onto the two UK ships in Japan consists of some 331kg of plutonium from Japan’s Tokai Research Establishment.

This plutonium – a substantial fraction of which was supplied to Japan by the UK decades ago for “experimental purposes” in Tokai’s Fast Critical Assembly (FCA) facility − is described by the US Department of Energy (DOE) as “posing a potential threat to national security, being susceptible to use in an improvised nuclear device, and presenting a high risk of theft or diversion”. Or, as another US expert put it, “sufficient to make up to 40 nuclear bombs”.

Under the US-led programme, the plutonium will be transported from Japan to the US port of Charleston and onwards to the Savannah River site in South Carolina.

Tom Clements, director of the public interest group Savannah River Site Watch, has condemned this import of plutonium as a material that will simply be stranded at the site, with no clear disposition path out of South Carolina. He sees it as further evidence that Savannah River is being used as a dumping ground for an extensive range of international nuclear waste.

Prime terrorist material

The British group Cumbrians Opposed to a Radioactive Environment (CORE) has for decades tracked the transport of nuclear materials round the world.

Their spokesman, Martin Forwood, said: “The practice of shipping this plutonium to the US as a safeguard is completely undermined by deliberately exposing this prime terrorist material to a lengthy sea transport, during which it will face everyday maritime risks and targeting by those with hostile intentions.

“We see this as wholly unnecessary and a significant security threat in today’s volatile and unpredictable world.”

The best option, CORE believes, would have been to leave it where it was, under guard.

From DOE documents, this shipment will be the first of a number of planned shipments for what is referred to as “Gap Material Plutonium” – weapons-useable materials that are not covered under other US or Russian programmes.

In total, the DOE plans to import up to 900kg of “at risk” plutonium − currently held in seven countries − via 12 shipments over seven years. Other materials include stocks of HEU – the most highly enriched plutonium,(to 93%), also being supplied to Japan by the UK.

The voyage from Barrow to Japan takes about six weeks, and a further seven weeks from Japan to Savannah River − use of the Panama Canal having been ruled out by the DOE in its documents on the shipment. Previously, the countries near the canal have objected to nuclear transport in their territorial waters.

This article was produced by the Climate News Network

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Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe and US president Barack Obama at Akasaka Palace in Tokyo, Japan in April 2014 (credit: White House Photo/Pete Souza)

By Alex Pashley

The US and Japan have agreed to curb public financing of overseas coal projects, ClimateWire reported on Tuesday.

That bilateral deal gets one of the most enthusiastic exporters of coal technology – Japan – on board ahead of a club of rich nations meet next month.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) gathers in November in Paris to set out shared rules to wind down coal export credits.

“They have struck a deal between the US and Japan. It’s a big deal. But they have to get other countries on board. The EU is getting there, but it’s Australia and South Korea that are holding back,” a person familiar with the talks told ClimateWire.

At issue are cash guarantees for polluting projects in the developing world. These jeopardise efforts to tackle climate change, by making it cheaper to roll out dirty power plants.

President Obama called two years ago for an end to coal financing overseas as part of his climate plan.

Other countries like the UK, Canada and France have followed suit, with some only allowing coal financing for the world’s poorest or with carbon capture and storage technology.

Japan is the largest provider of overseas coal technology and has previously resisted moves to cut state aid. It is bucking a trend among G7 countries to quit coal, according to a report last week by think tank E3G.

Maria Athena Ronquillo-Ballesteros, director of the World Resources Institute’s Sustainable Finance Program, said a US-Japan deal could have broad implications for investment.

“If the US and Japan agree on language that will ultimately restrict export credit agency financing of carbon-intensive projects… then that sends a powerful signal to other OECD countries,” she told ClimateWire.

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Tokyo (Pic: Flickr/Mariko Kato)

By Megan Darby

Japan will cut greenhouse gas emissions 26% from 2013 levels by 2030, under a plan submitted to the UN on Friday.

That commits the source of 2.65% of global emissions to steeper reductions than the US (18-21%) and EU (24%) over the same period, Reuters reported.

But it confirms a target analysts criticised in May as less ambitious than it looked, due to the choice of baseline.

The country’s emissions have soared since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster prompted a shift to coal and gas for power generation.

Measuring from 2005, the target amounts to a 25.4% cut – less than leading developed economies.

Analysts at Climate Action Tracker labelled the draft pledge, which appears unchanged, “inadequate”. If all countries adopted a similar level of ambition, they said warming would exceed 3-4C this century.

Paris tracker: Who has pledged what for 2015 UN climate pact?

National plans are to form the foundations of a global pact in Paris this December to prevent catastrophic climate change.

The goal is to hold warming to 2C above pre-industrial levels, but it looks unlikely pledges this year will collectively deliver.

Japan’s submission brings the total number of national climate pledges to 46, covering 59% of global emissions.

Tokyo is planning to get 26% of its power from coal in 2030, 27% from gas and 22-24% from renewables.

Nuclear will continue to supply 20-22%, under government plans, a reduction from the 30% share before Fukushima.

A report by think tank E3G in April argued Japan’s lack of climate ambition was diminishing its influence on the world stage and weakening its competitiveness in the low carbon economy.

According to the latest comprehensive dataset, in 2010 Japan accounted for 2.65% of global emissions.

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(Flickr/ Wendell)

By Mutsuyoshi Nishimura

Today, there is a global search for the right pricing of carbon and attempts are underway to link various trading systems.

But in my view, the right pricing of carbon will come only in a globally integrated carbon market, where the global carbon budget that science says would achieve 2C is made to meet global fossil fuels combustion requirements.

Such a global carbon market would give rise to a universal price of carbon reflecting the cost of achieving the 2C target. We need a market-based price, not one concocted by anybody.

As it involves a global market, the plan is presumably the least expensive way to wean the world off carbon. An integrated carbon market would not diminish prosperity.

Quite the contrary, it would maximize global outputs that would be produced by consuming the new resources called the “carbon budget for 2C”.

Fundamentals

How does the integrated global carbon market work? First, the carbon budget for 2C should be a collective property of humankind, making all governments the owner of that budget.

What we’ll call the “assembly of governments” sells the budget to the upstream providers of fossil fuels (importers and extractors of the fuels) in all countries so that they pass the carbon price on to the downstream economy.

Since the assembly will not issue any more credits than the 2C budget allows for, dangerous levels of warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions would be avoided.

As a consequence the assembly would get a new major source of climate financing that would be distributed globally. This could help drop the costs of renewable energies for quicker and cheaper global decarbonisation.

The new Apollo initiative proposed recently by Sir David King, the UK’s climate envoy, would need innovative funding such as this.

Different framing

More importantly the game change is incumbent as the emerging “dash to renewable energies” worldwide would diminish the legitimacy and relevancy of the current game of “dashing to carbon space”.

Burning fossil fuels is not the only way to ensure local communities get energy, productive systems thrive and poorer countries grow in sustainability.

Providing developing countries with more renewable energy and restricting carbon space is the quickest solution for them to get out of energy poverty and poverty writ large.

It makes better sense for all countries to aim at long-term net-zero targets in a time span science indicates and to adopt renewable energies in as massively and quickly as possible, rather than keep fighting each other for more carbon spaces or for more ambitious cuts.

Global commons

As to the carbon budget for 2C, it makes better sense for all countries to throw them into an integrated global market.

Then let the market give rise to market-based carbon price and price signal for the most cost-effective climate investments and produce new major sources for climate financing which would drive the acquisition costs of renewable energies even further down.

To the extent that the dash to renewable energies intensifies and the weight and need of sovereign prerogatives decline in dealing with how much carbon space a nation should get for its growth, jobs and so on, the policy community should seriously consider a new twin solution: (i) the long-term net-zero target for all countries (ii) the globally integrated carbon market for the carbon budget for 2C.

Mutsuyoshi Nishimura was Japan’s Ambassador in-charge of Global Environment and chief climate negotiator from 2005-2008, and Special Advisor to the Cabinet in charge of climate change from 2008-2010. 

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Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe (Pic: OECD/Flickr)

By Ed King

Japan is well off course to meeting the pledge it made with fellow G7 countries to target a low carbon energy system by 2050, according to an analysis of its climate goals.

Intense pressure from German chancellor Angela Merkel and counterparts from the EU, US and France saw prime minister Shinzo Abe back a raft of new carbon cutting plans on Monday.

But based on current policies the country will only draw around 42-45% of its energy from low carbon sources by 2030, says the team at Climate Action Tracker.

“Japan agreed in the G7 communique to complete the transition of its energy system towards decarbonisation by 2050, which is not possible with the current draft INDC,” said Niklas Höhne of NewClimate Institute, which helped produce this analysis.

“Japan’s proposed energy strategy will not only delay its shift to a low carbon economy, it will also put Japanese industry at a competitive disadvantage with other countries that are currently undertaking these shifts,” he added.

Japan is the world’s fifth highest greenhouse gas emitter and third largest economy.

On Tuesday an official at UN climate talks in Bonn confirmed it would deliver its contribution to a global emissions cutting deal by the end of July, after public consultation.

It’s expected to offer to cut carbon pollution 26% on 2013 levels by 2030, which equates to a 25.4% cut on 2005 levels.

Paris tracker: Who has pledged what for 2015 UN climate pact? 

That doesn’t stack up well compared to other major economies. The EU is aiming for 40% cuts on 1990 levels by 2030, the US 26-28% on 2005 levels by 2030.

Japan’s offer could also be weakened because it intends to use growth of domestic forests, which act as carbon sinks, and carbon markets to meet its goals, says the analysis.

“The Climate Action Tracker rates this target as inadequate: if all countries adopted this level of ambition, warming would likely exceed 3-4C in the 2 century,” it says.

Since the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011 Japan suspended operations at its atomic plants, focusing instead on importing oil, gas and coal. Nuclear is now forecast meet 20-22% of electricity needs from 2030.

According to the AP news agency, around 40 coal power plants are planned or being built in Japan, often funded directly through the government.

The country also stands accused of using funds marked as climate finance to retrofit and build new coal power plants.

In the past year the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has been linked with coal plants in Indonesia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Research from the Oil Change International NGO suggests Japan spent US$20 billion from 2007-2014 on overseas coal plants and mines.

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Leaders stroll in the grounds of the Elmau Schloss castle in the German alps on June 7th (Flickr/ European External Action Service)

By Alex Pashley

The G7 has declared that the global economy must be decarbonised this century, in a statement hailed by campaigners.

German chancellor Angela Merkel was lauded for forging consensus among the world’s major economies to reverse centuries of fossil fuel-based development and usher in a clean energy future.

The backing of the world’s pre-eminent economies gees up chances of almost 200 nations agreeing to a long term goal in Paris this December to reduce the net release of heat-trapping gases to zero.

After two days of talks, the joint declaration said: “deep cuts in global greenhouse gas emissions are required with a decarbonisation of the global economy over the course of this century.”

The countries agreed to back the “upper end” of a 40-70% reduction of emissions by 2050 on 2010 levels, curbs the UN scientific bureau says are needed to stabilise temperatures at 2C above pre-industrial levels – and avert catastrophic climate change.

Angela Merkel: The green realist who could make or break a climate deal

“Though the precise wording is slightly different, this is in effect a strong statement that the Paris agreement should have a long-term goal of net zero emissions in the second half of the century, as many developing countries are calling for,” said Michael Jacobs, advisor to the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate.

“To get the US, Canada and Japan to agree to this is a remarkable achievement by Angela Merkel and Francois Hollande, and a good sign for the negotiations.”

Merkel, once called the “climate chancellor” and with experience of the UN negotiations, brokered the agreement with Japan and Canada, perceived to be hold-outs given weaker action on the climate.

Canada is promoting tar sands extraction, while Japan has become reliant on fossil fuels since the Fukushima disaster triggered a flight from atomic power.

“Angela Merkel faced down Canada and Japan to say ‘Auf Wiedersehen’ to carbon pollution and become the climate hero the world needs,” said Iain Keith of campaign group Avaaz.

Leaders at Elmau Schloss castle in the Bavarian alps

“This long-term decarbonisation goal will make evident to corporations and financial markets that the most lucrative investments will stem from low-carbon technologies,” said Jennifer Morgan of the World Resources Institute.

As fossil fuel emissions are scaled back, analysts see the underground storage of carbon dioxide and large scale tree-planting as critical to get to “net zero”.

The G7 will send a strong signal to other countries laying out climate plans, and shift the pattern of climate politics, said Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G, a thinktank in London.

“By agreeing to decarbonise the global economy inside a strong system of rules they have set a benchmark for emerging economies such as China to match,” Mabey added.

‘Right course’

While the statement shows support for a long-term climate goal, it is less strongly worded than some others.

Networks representing 6.5 million businesses last month called for net zero emissions “well before the end of the century”, with some urging carbon neutrality by 2050.

Sam Smith, head of WWF’s Global Climate and Energy Initiative, said G7 countries needed to make more concrete commitments.

“The course is right, but more speed, ambition and specific actions are needed,” she said. “Developing countries are ready to move fast and far on renewables, but they need finance and technology from rich countries to do it.”

As well as supporting a science-based approach, the G7 committed to extend insurance coverage to 400 million people vulnerable to climate impacts and accelerate renewable energy in Africa.

They also vowed to track progress of countries’ ability to “promote increased ambition over time”, with a mechanism to bind countries to deeper cuts at certain time periods.

The G7 was attended by US President Barack Obama, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, French President Francois Hollande, Canadian PM Stephen Harper and Italian PM Matteo Renzi.

While climate was high up the agenda, delegates also held discussions on conflict in Ukraine, Greece’s possible exit of the Eurozone and ISIS.

The post G7 buoys climate talks with support for zero carbon goal appeared first on Climate Home News.

Schloss Elmau, will host the G7 from June 6-7 (Flickr/ Alexander Kluge)

By Alex Pashley

Climate change is seen a primary focus for the Group of Seven when leaders gather in an idyllic fortress in Bavaria this weekend.

Russia’s annexing of Crimea kicked environment down the agenda in 2014, as members expelled it from the forum of major industrialised nations.

Though in the midst of UN talks in Bonn a year on, and with a global warming pact to be signed off in December, climate will feature as Germany’s Angela Merkel chairs talks in the Schloss Elmau castle.

In an interview with Canada’s CBC News on Thursday Merkel indicated it was an “important issue” for the group, which would discuss how it can deliver more green funds to developing countries and accelerate its own carbon cutting plans.

Comment: Germany’s G7 can ensure Paris climate deal is a success

As many as 150 countries have until October to volunteer plans to cut carbon emissions. All G7 countries have indicated their pledges.

Meanwhile, rich nations need to iron out the details of a $100 billion a year fund for poor countries to prepare for the onset of more extreme and frequent weather.

“Climate will have a much more important role with Paris later this year and the Sustainable Development Goals in September,” said Shane Tomlinson, a senior fellow at the Chatham House think tank.

“The G7 has a lot of sway putting things on the agenda, signalling their intent and showing leadership,” he added.

Accounting for a chunk of the world’s GDP and setting the norms in political and financial architecture, the group comprised of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States has a chance to combine climate and development agendas.

In April, it set up a working group to examine climate change’s potential to destabilise weak countries, while energy ministers said in May they were in agreement over the ‘urgency’ of deep carbon curbs.

Report: G7 ministers hail agreement on climate goals

Merkel will keep that up, said Jan Kowalzig at Oxfam International.

She excused herself from attending last year’s UN summit by arguing she would make climate big at the G7, said the policy advisor, and expects the bloc to mention the $100 billion climate finance in its declaration.

And most of that will have to come from the G7, “either from public or private as a result of strong government action,” UN climate envoy Janos Pasztor, said on Thursday in New York.

Another issue central to UN talks are proposals to achieve ‘net zero emissions’ or a ‘decarbonisation goal’ before 2100. The G7 could give this needed impetus by backing it in the summit’s declaration, Tomlinson said.

The US rejects ‘zero emissions’ wording, RTCC understands, but could agree to decarbonisation ‘in the second half of the century’ wording. Canada is also pushing for softer language.

With Germany’s chairmanship and the attendance of the European Union, campaigners are demanding an end to subsidies for coal, oil and gas, while committing to 100% renewable energy at some point in the next century.

Martin Kaiser, head of international climate politics at Greenpeace said G7 members could do just that, giving a “strong signal to investors” and building trust at the UN talks in Bonn.

“But Japan and Canada are blocking efforts to send this signal,” he said in a statement.

Report: G7 stresses climate risks to fragile states

Out of the G7 nations, Japan and Canada pulled out of the Kyoto treaty to tackle global warming, while the US never ratified it.

Japan’s carbon-cutting pledge, known at the UN as an intended nationally determined contribution (INDC) has been criticised for being inadequate in hitting a developed country goal of a 80% emissions cut on 1990 levels by mid-century.

The Asian country was revealed to be the biggest financer of coal projects abroad this week. Activists have called on Germany to seize on its presidency to ditch the most-polluting energy source, as well as European countries.

Despite being in the grip of an “Energy Transformation’ as it backs renewables and phases out nuclear, coal still generates 44% of the country’s energy mix, with CO2 emissions rising for three years before a dip in 2014 mainly due to burning of cheaper-and-dirtier lignite.

“We can’t stop using all of them [fossil fuels], but we have to set ambitious goals for the next few years,” said Merkel in the CBC interview.

The G7 would give a platform for Germany to “address the phase out of coal,” said Dennis Taenzler at the Berlin think tank, Adelphi.

And a report by the Carbon Tracker Initiative analysing Europe’s five main energy providers showed new coal-fired plants didn’t make financial sense.

The study shows how Germany’s E.ON and RWE, France’s Engie, Électricité de France, and Italy’s Enel, collectively lost 100 billion euros, or 37% of their stock market value from 2008 to 2013. More assets could become “stranded” as investors desert coal.

“Coal has got caught in the path of the utility death spiral, which is likely to continue wiping out value for shareholders if they keep betting on new coal plants,” Matthew Gray, lead author of the report, said.

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Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe (Pic: OECD/Flickr)

By Alex Pashley

Japan prime minister Shinzo Abe announced his country’s planned curbs to greenhouse gas emissions on Tuesday, local media reported.

The Asian country intends to cut carbon by 26% by 2030 on 2013 levels and will submit the proposals to the UN in July, Abe said in a government meeting on climate change according to Kyodo news agency.

“This is an ambitious target which is in no way inferior to other countries internationally,” said Abe, AFP reported.

Almost 200 nations are posting emissions reduction plans as part of a UN global deal expected to be signed in a December summit in Paris.

The new carbon-cutting target, in line with recommendations made by a government-appointed panel in April, is only an 18% cut on the UN’s recommended baseline year of 1990.

It is set to underwhelm campaigners and researchers, who say Japan isn’t doing enough to help steer the world away from a 2C temperature rise by 2100.

Nuclear backseat

Nuclear energy’s lower profile in Japanese energy generation after 2011’s Fukushima disaster has seen a greater reliance on fossil fuels, skewering its carbon-cutting ambitions.

Atomic power made up 28% of its energy mix before a tsunami lashed the country’s coastline and caused a nuclear meltdown, shutting off all national reactors. Nuclear is forecast to power just 20-22% from 2030.

Renewables will rise to as much as 24%, according to a draft government report, with fossil fuels like imported liquefied natural gas making up the bulk of the country’s energy mix.

Paris tracker: Who has pledged what for 2015 UN climate pact?

But Japanese officials said the plans were consistent with its longer term goal of an 80% reduction by 2050 agreed with other major industrialised economies, Kyodo reported.

Last month, Japan’s former chief negotiator, Mutsuyoshi Nishimura told RTCC Japan risked “losing relevancy” on media reports it would target a 25% cut.

Nishimura said it was a “low figure for a country which has been working so hard in the international community to stop global warming.”

For long a climate leader and birthplace of the world’s only legally binding treaty to date, the Kyoto Protocol, the Fukushima disaster has knocked Japan’s clean energy pathway off course.

It led it in 2013 to slash in its 2020 target to just 3.8% from 2005 levels, after pledging an ambitious 25% reduction at the Copenhagen summit in 2009.

Japan is the world’s seventh top emitting bloc, and accounted for 2.7% of global emissions in 2010.

Abe plans to discuss Japan’s target at the Group of Seven summit in Germany this weekend.

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Satellite image of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, at risk of coral bleaching from warming seas (Flickr/ NASA)

By Alex Pashley

The paucity of Australia’s carbon cutting plans has been laid bare in analysis by a leading consultancy.

To match intended cuts in greenhouse gas emissions by major emitters the US and EU, the country must slash levels by 24% from 2005 levels by 2025, says PricewaterhouseCoopers’ sustainability and climate change unit.

Australian plans to whittle down CO2 rates by just 5 percent from 2000 levels by 2020, leaving a wide berth between it and climate leaders.

Yet Climate Action Tracker estimates the country is on track for an increase of 12-18%, since prime minister Tony Abbott scrapped the main climate policy – a carbon tax.

Last week, the UN’s top climate change envoy urged it to ditch its fossil fuel habit amid cuts to its clean energy ambition.

Useful benchmark 

“[R]elative ambition or effort will be a critical political issue this year,” write UK-based analysts Jonathan Grant, Robert Milnes and George Gale.

The US and EU are at the front of the pack in UN-backed negotiations brokering a global climate pact to avoid catastrophic global warming set to be signed in Paris in December.

Their pledges to cut heat-trapping gases by 26-28% on 2005 levels by 2025, and 40% on 1990 levels by 2030 respectively, PWC write, “are roughly equally ambitious, albeit still far short of what is needed for 2 degrees [rise in temperatures by 2100].”

They’re too a “useful benchmark” to spur laggards.

The world’s second and third bloc of emitters, after China, have decarbonised their economies by about 2% a year since 2000, and must increase that by another 1.9% to meet their future targets.

PWC applied the same to Australia, as well as other major economies six weeks overdue in submitting official plans, Japan and Canada.

It’s a smaller ask for those two countries, required to slash emissions by 6% and 19% in the same period.

The consultancy compared countries’ emissions targets through historic and projected changes in carbon intensity per millions dollars of GDP.

The amount of pollution produced for the same unit of energy  is falling by around 1% a year.

But that needs to jump to 6% to stay within the so-called “carbon budget”, the remaining emissions the atmospheric can absorb without rising above 2C on pre-industrial levels.

Faced with that scenario, a Paris deal must force countries to deepen carbon cuts at certain intervals, as well as their report progress on hitting targets.

“The current crop of targets highlights the need for the Paris agreement to include a mechanism to raise ambition in future.”

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Japanese premier Shinzo Abe met Barack Obama in Washington this week (Pic: White House/Pete Souza)

By Megan Darby

Japan is proposing to cut greenhouse gas emissions 26% from 2013 levels by 2030, the government revealed to a panel of experts on Thursday.

Environment officials said this was more ambitious than either the US or EU over that period, according to a Reuters report.

But observers accused the world’s fifth largest emitter of “sleight of hand” in choosing the baseline year to make weak plans look better.

Japan is using the Fukushima nuclear disaster as cover to pursue coal-friendly policies, according to a report by London-based think-tank E3G.

That is jeopardising Japan’s foreign policy influence and low carbon industries, it warns, urging the country to change course.

“Lack of climate action in Japan and the lack of relative ambition puts Japan at odds with most of the world’s major economies,” said lead author Taylor Dimsdale.

“One immediate impact of that is that it will be more difficult to reach an agreement in Paris that keeps 2C within reach.”

It is also putting Japan “on the sidelines” of a debate that is “increasingly central to trade, investment, security and foreign policy”.

Paris tracker: Who has pledged what for 2015 UN climate pact?

To date, 34 countries including the US, EU28 and China have submitted carbon-cutting plans to the UN.

Others are to follow before December, when these national pledges will form the basis of negotiations on a global climate pact in Paris.

The internationally agreed goal is to limit temperature rise to 2C above pre-industrial levels, beyond which scientists warn of increasingly dire consequences.

Japan is lagging behind the US and EU with its proposed emissions cuts, E3G found, despite officials’ protestations to the contrary.

“There was quite a lot of progress made in both the US and Europe in the past decade in terms of realising reductions in emissions,” explained Dimsdale.

“If you look at a 2013 baseline, that all disappears. It is a bit of a sleight of hand on the part of the Japanese government to make their target look more ambitious than it actually is.”

Report: Japan eyes weak climate goals as nuclear plans fade

The weak goals reflect an increasing reliance on fossil fuels.

Since an earthquake and tsunami triggered a devastating nuclear disaster at Fukushima Daiichi power station in 2011, the government has turned to coal and gas.

Some 40 coal plants are in the pipeline, which could run for 40 years. Kyoto-based environmental group Kiko Network calculates these would swallow up half the country’s carbon budget in 2050.

But Dimsdale said the Japanese had “overstated” the challenges posed by a flight from atomic energy.

Germany also shifted away from nuclear after the disaster, he pointed out. While coal has filled the gap in the short term, the government is making an aggressive push for renewable energy.

Nuclear experts survey decommissioning at Fukushima Daiichi (Pic: Flickr/IAEA Imagebank/Greg Webb)

Nick Mabey, CEO of E3G, argued the real problem was a grid too weak to support intermittent wind and solar.

And electricity companies like Tepco – Fukushima’s owner – do not want to give up market share to distributed generators.

“The reason Japan has reverted to controllable, centralised old coal plants is it is not prepared to reform its electricity market,” said Mabey.

Japan’s shrinking population should make it relatively easy for the country to cut emissions, he added. “This is special pleading by Japan with no basis.”

Report: No ban on coal finance as Green Climate Fund eyes first projects

Coal is not just a domestic concern for Japan; it is also a major export industry.

As many development banks and Western countries move to phase out support for coal projects in the developing world, Japan is sticking with the polluting technology.

Japan provided US$16.8 billion of finance for overseas coal projects between 2007 and 2013, more than double the sum from any other OECD country.

It even counted coal power investments in Indonesia, India and Bangladesh as “climate finance”, to the horror of green groups.

And E3G found the “vast majority” of export projects used technology that was less efficient than the global average.

“This is disappointing, because Japan has been a pioneer in low carbon technologies over the past few decades,” said Dimsdale.

“The current policies are really undermining a lot of Japan’s competitive advantages in the low carbon sector.”

It is not too late for Japan to up its game and match or exceed EU and US targets, E3G stressed, redeeming its international status.

The question is, Mabey said: “Does President Abe value his relationship with Tepco more than his relationship with Obama and potentially Hillary Clinton?”

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(Pic: Sara Jones/Flickr)

By Ed King

Proposed Japanese carbon reduction targets are far too weak and threaten the country’s legacy as a climate change leader, says John Prescott.

In a letter sent to the Kyodo News website, the UK’s former deputy prime minister, now a peer in the House of Lords, writes of his “grave concern” that the government plans further relax its climate goals.

“A decline in Japanese ambition, at a critical point in international climate diplomacy, could send the wrong signal to other nations on Japan’s commitment to multilateralism,” says Prescott, who helped broker the the Kyoto Protocol – the world’s only legally binding climate deal – in 1997.

Nearly 200 countries are working on plans to develop replacement global climate deal, due to be signed off in Paris this December.

All governments have promised to contribute. So far only 26 countries including all 28 EU member states, Mexico, Russia and the US have submitted plans.

Climate tracker: What’s happened to pledges for Paris summit? 

This week, officials in Tokyo indicated the country would rely heavily on fossil fuels up to and beyond 2030, with renewables providing around 24% of the electricity mix.

That followed suggestions it would aim to slash greenhouse gas emissions 25% on 2013 levels by 2025, lower than the US (28% on 2005 levels by 2025) and EU (40% on 1990 levels by 2030).

Nuclear energy represented 27% of power generation before the Fukishima disaster, leading to the shutdown of all reactors. Between 2012-2014 Japan spent $270 billion importing fossil fuels to fill this gap.

Japan was marginalising itself from international climate politics as it failed to give up coal and embrace clean energy, UK think tank E3G charged in a report on Thursday.

The “grace period” following the Fukushima disaster was now over, said Taylor Dimsdale, E3G head of research, while the “Japanese government’s roll back of its climate goals puts it at odds with its major competitors like China who are reaping the rewards of global decarbonisation.”

In his letter, Prescott urges prime minister Shinzo Abe, who is in Washington DC meeting president Barack Obama, to “change course”, citing Japan’s role at the 1997 Kyoto UN climate summit.

“I know the Kyoto Protocol carries great significance for Japan’s diplomats, politicians and business leaders,” says Prescott.

“I am sure that it will impel the government of Premier Abe to raise its game now that the stakes on climate change are even higher, and the need for leadership greater than ever.”

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