EDITORIAL: Curbing CO2 emissions

Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Japan committed itself to cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent from fiscal 1990 levels for the five years to fiscal 2012 as part of efforts to curb global warming.

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell sharply in fiscal 2008, the first year in the commitment period. They dropped 6.2 percent from the all-time high registered in the previous year, according to preliminary data released by the Environment Ministry.

That means the amount of greenhouse gases Japan spewed into the atmosphere dropped straight back to the levels of the mid-1990s.

The figure for fiscal 2008 represents a 1.9-percent increase from fiscal 1990 levels. But when factors like carbon absorption by forests and purchases of emissions rights from abroad by the government and the industrial sector are included in calculation, Japan is likely to meet its obligation of a 6-percent cut in its emissions, according to the ministry.

But that is no reason for Japan to sit on its laurels. After all, the target was not the result of all-out efforts to slash gas emissions.

Since the collapse of U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers in autumn 2008, the global economy has slipped into a synchronized recession, causing energy consumption by Japanese companies and households to decline. So much of the credit for the fall in emissions is due to the economic slump.

It is a fair bet that Japan's emissions of heat-trapping gases will begin to grow sharply as the economy recovers; that is, unless the correlation with economic conditions alters.

For starters, businesses and households must not lose sight of the gains made in energy conservation thus far. In addition, a drastic change is needed in the way industrial and social structures advance toward a low-carbon future.

A lot needs to be accomplished during the remaining four years of the Kyoto commitment period. The government ought to make it easier to purchase power produced with renewable energy sources to promote solar and wind power generation. Raising the capacity utilization ratio of the nation's nuclear power plants from the 60 percent at present to the international standard is also important. In this regard, the safe operation of the plants obviously cannot be compromised.

Under the post-Kyoto climate agreement for 2013 onward, Japan will have to curtail its greenhouse gas emissions even more sharply. That being the case, it will be vital to develop domestic industries and technologies that will have a beneficial effect on global warming. This would be preferable to paying huge amounts to buy emissions credits from other countries.

Seen in this light, the administration of Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama needs to take bold action to transform this nation into a low-carbon society. It has already set an ambitious target of a 25-percent reduction in emissions.

Establishing a system that rewards cuts in carbon dioxide emissions while punishing big polluters according to the amount of their emissions would be a big step forward.

A "green" tax to finance anti-warming efforts and the domestic emissions trading system are now being considered by the Hatoyama administration. They would encourage businesses and consumers to make further efforts to trim their emissions and thereby nurture new industries and technologies to help Japan shift to a low-carbon economy.

Some people say that such measures would undermine the international competitiveness of Japanese companies. But this kind of negativity would surely leave Japan trailing the rest of the world. The government should lay the foundation for sustainable growth by using the revenue from the green tax to create new low-carbon industries and jobs.

In the coming years, China and India, along with other emerging economic powers, will start cutting their own greenhouse gas emissions. This will offer a great business opportunity by allowing companies to take advantage of this nation's cutting-edge environmental technologies. Efforts to put Japanese industry and society on a low-carbon path should be seen as a way to bolster Japan's international competitiveness in this new age.

--The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 25(IHT/Asahi: November 26,2009)