Japan should phase out coal power by 2035, climate group says
The country is looking to publish its national energy strategy as the COP global climate summit nears
JAPAN can triple its renewables capacity and aim to phase out coal power by 2035, a group of companies and NGOs said.
The group, known as the Japan Climate Initiative (JCI), urged the Japanese government to be more ambitious in accelerating its energy transition.
The Asian nation should recalibrate its national targets and slash emissions by two-thirds by the middle of the next decade, the JCI said. Members of the JCI include a network of banks, universities, and companies such as the Rakuten Group and Panasonic Holdings.
Japan – the only G7 nation not to have a deadline to phase out use of the dirty fuel – currently uses coal to generate a third of its electricity. It has the potential to increase renewables in its power mix to 65 to 80 per cent, JCI said.
To reduce greenhouse gases by 66 per cent or more by 2035 from 2013 levels, the country must fulfill its international commitment as a G7 member to fully or predominantly decarbonise the electricity sector by 2035, the group said.
The call comes as the world’s fourth-biggest economy is set to publish its national energy strategy and countries are expected to renew their “nationally determined contributions” on emissions reductions in the run-up to the Conference of the Parties global climate summit in November.
In a bid to curb rapidly rising temperatures, global leaders had set a goal to limit global warming to below 1.5 degrees Celsius from pre-industrial times under the Paris Agreement in 2015.
Despite that, the world looks to only have a slim chance of keeping global warming below that key threshold. BLOOMBERG
Share with us your feedback on BT's products and services
