Japan on pace to miss ‘10 emissions target by 34 million tons’

Japan, if it continues at its present pace, needs to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by an additional 20 million to 34 million tons to attain the 2010 goal under the Kyoto Protocol to curb global warming, according to an interim report released Friday by government ministries.

This level of excess in greenhouse gases in the 2010 emissions goal is equivalent to 1.5 percent to 2.7 percent of the fiscal 1990 level, according to an estimate by a joint committee of the Environment Ministry and the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.
Under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol, Japan is required to cut the average emissions of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide, during the period from fiscal 2008 to 2012 by 6 percent from the fiscal 1990 level.

Overall emissions of greenhouse gases are expected to increase by 0.9 percent to 2.1 percent in fiscal 2010 from the level in fiscal 1990, according to the committee. While a METI report released Thursday forecast Japan’s carbon dioxide emissions in fiscal 2010 may be 5.9 percent higher than the 1990 level, emissions of other types of global warming gases are projected to decline.

The government aims to put together a final report on specific measures, including revised legislation to promote preventive measures against global warming, by year’s end.

However, some committee members said the government’s estimates are still far too unrealistic because they are based on the assumption that the nation’s nuclear power plants will operate at nearly 90 percent of capacity — compared with about 70 percent today. If atomic plant operations stay at the current level, Japan might need to cut an additional 100 million tons of emissions in order to achieve the Kyoto Protocol target.

Other committee members also called for emergency measures, including an environment tax, if prospects become dimmer.

Japan Times