350.org appeals for ambitious agreement on climate crisis at G7 Hiroshima Summit

Japan should stop promoting ‘false solutions’ for climate change

Environment

December 27, 2022

/ By / Japan

350.org appeals for ambitious agreement on climate crisis at G7 Hiroshima Summit

350.org has urged Japan to drive an ambitious agreement on climate crisis and energy measures at the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May

As Japan takes over the Presidency of G7, environmental organisation 350.org urges Japan to drive an ambitious agreement on climate crisis and energy measures at the G7 Hiroshima Summit in May. It also urges Japan to stop promoting ‘false solutions’ for reduction in carbon emissions.

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The new year will see Germany pass on the mantle of G7 grouping of developed economies to Japan. With the world’s leading industrialised nations also responsible for an overwhelming share of the global carbon emissions, both historically and current, at least on per capita basis, environmental organisations have been appealing to the rich world to keep its promises vis-à-vis climate change and take steps not just to dramatically reduce their own carbon emissions, but also help the developing nations as per their pledges of USD 100 billion a year.

In a statement, 350.org, an environmental organisation based in Boston, says that with the scheduling of the G7 Hiroshima Summit, that will be held in Japan on May 19-21, 2023, the world’s seven major economies must show leadership to the rest of the world by confronting the latest scientific findings and the escalating climate crisis to achieve an agreement that will significantly strengthen measures compared to the G7 Elmau Summit in 2022.

The organisation says that the climate crisis is becoming more serious, such as the flooding in Pakistan this year, where one-third of the country’s land area was reportedly submerged. In Japan, there has been no end to the damage caused by record-breaking heat waves and torrential rains.

‘‘At the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), it was agreed to establish a loss and damage fund in response to the voices of developing countries and global civil society suffering from climate disasters. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is not only unacceptable from a humanitarian standpoint, but has also resulted in massive greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the vulnerability of our continued dependence on fossil fuel energy,’’ says the statement.

In light of the above, the organisation says it has urged Japanese government to place the climate crisis and energy issues on the agenda of the G7 Hiroshima Summit. It is essential to place these issues on the agenda of the G7 Hiroshima Summit not only to succeed the G7 Elmau Summit in Germany, but also to make the agreement go further than the previous commitments, says 350.org.

Another significant call relates to energy conservation and reduction in carbon emissions. It has urged the government to stop promoting “false solutions” at the G7 Hiroshima Summit and steer the agenda toward an essential shift away from fossil fuels. The Japanese government has been delaying the transition away from fossil fuels by promoting GX technologies such as next-generation nuclear power, carbon capture and storage (CCS/CCUS), and ammonia/hydrogen co-firing with fossil fuels for thermal power generation.

The COP27 agreement also identified renewable energy as a critically important decade-long measure. We should turn to “real solutions,” such as thorough energy conservation and expansion of renewable energy, instead of “false solutions,” which are fraught with technological uncertainties, will not allow us to meet the critically important emission reductions by 2030, and are more expensive than energy conservation and renewable energy.

‘‘At the G7 Hiroshima Summit, a strong political message should be sent out regarding the transition away from fossil fuels, more advanced than at the G7 Elmau Summit,’’ the organisation has appealed to the Japanese government. The G7 countries, including Japan, need to put forward a political message that promotes a fair transition away from all fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

The NGO also asks that in preparation for the G7 Hiroshima Summit, Japan must immediately announce its intention to significantly raise its climate change targets and measures to be consistent with the Paris Agreement 1.5°C target. Without strengthened domestic policies, Japan will not be ready for international leadership, says 350.org.

According to scientists, Japan’s 2030 greenhouse gas emission reduction target is insufficient to meet the Paris Agreement 1.5°C target and must be raised to a 62 pc reduction. To achieve this goal, it is essential to strengthen regulations on fossil fuels, carbon pricing, and drastically expand energy conservation and renewable energy measures. There is also an urgent need to review diplomatic strategies around climate change and energy, as Japan has reportedly weakened its agreement on decarbonizing coal and fossil fuels and electric vehicles during the G7 Elmau Summit process, according to a report by Oil Change International. Japan ranked first in the world in public funding for fossil fuels from 2019-2021, says the statement.

The organisation has also called upon the Japanese government to ensure civil society participation in the preparatory process and series of meetings for the G7 Hiroshima Summit as it is essential from a democratic perspective and more opportunities for civil society to be involved in the preparatory process are needed.

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