MOE Announces Medium- to Long-Term Roadmap for Reducing Greenhouse Gases

Japan's Ministry of the Environment released a preliminary draft presented by its Study Committee on a Medium- to Long-term Roadmap for Reducing Greenhouse Gases (GHG) at the 5th Overall Review Meeting held on March 26, 2010. At the meeting, the committee compiled the results from each of its five working groups: vehicles, homes and buildings, regional revitalization, farming and mountain villages, and energy.

The National Institute for Environmental Studies estimated the amount of GHG emissions that would be released in Japan as a result of following this roadmap, and presented the results of estimates for 2020 and 2030 based on specific model calculations, as well as the vision for 2050 based on those estimations. In this scenario, targeted emissions levels would achieve a reduction of 25 percent by 2020 and 80 percent by 2050, using 1990 levels as the baseline.

The draft called for immediate action to achieve the medium- and long-term goals. In the medium-term (by 2020), the goals are to achieve mass-market dissemination of existing low-carbon technologies; pursue visual means of monitoring energy consumption and GHG emissions; and incentivize people and companies to achieve emissions reduction targets. In the long term (by 2050), in addition to the policies and measures for achieving the medium-term goals, the goals are to promote the development of hard and soft infrastructure; provide environmental education and foster human resources that will aid in the implementation of relevant policies and measures; and develop social infrastructure such environmentally friendly financial systems.

The Ministry also set up a subcommittee for the Medium- to Long-term Roadmap, comprised of 20 members appointed from companies, non-profit organizations, and academic societies. Included among them is Ms. Junko Edahiro, a joint chief executive of the non-profit group Japan for Sustainability. They have been discussing the roadmap since April 30, 2010.

Japan Establishes Cabinet Advisory Panel on Climate Change (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/en/pages/027007.html

Posted: 2010/08/21 06:00:15AM