China & Japan Set Green Energy Targets

China & Japan Set Green Energy Targets

Posted on June 11th, 2009 Political News 3 comments

China has surprised the world by launching ambitious plans to build wind and solar power plants, to rival Europe’s claims of leading the world in cutting carbon emissions. China has committed $30 Billion in a plan to reach 20% renewable energy by 2020.

The move is certainly a positive one, that could have a knock on effect as the worlds leading economies battle to become world leaders in clean renewable energy. The new target matches the European goal, and would represent a direct challenge to Europe’s claims to world leadership in the field, despite China’s relative poverty. Some experts have cast doubt on whether Britain will be able to reach 20%. China certainly seems to be starting to take global warming seriously, making ambitious plans of installing 100 million energy efficient light bulbs this year alone.

Japan on the other hand have sparked outrage in the environmentalist community. This week they announced a target of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 15% over the next 11 years . That’s Only a 8% cut from 1990 levels, whereas the EU plans a 20% reduction over the same period. The announcement came in the middle of talks on the UN climate treaty in Bonn. Some observers say Japan’s goal is not enough to persuade developing countries to cut their own emissions. “The target is not strong enough to convince developing nations to sign up for a new climate change pact,” said Hidefumi Kurasaka, professor of environmental policies at Japan’s Chiba University.

Kim Carstensen, leader of the global climate initiative at environment group WWF, said the 8% target represented virtually no advance from the 6% cut that Japan had pledged, under the Kyoto Protocol, to achieve by 2012. Japan’s annual emissions are currently about 6% above 1990 levels, despite its Kyoto Protocol pledge to make cuts.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the UN advisory body, has recommended that developed nations cut emissions by 25-40% from 1990 levels by 2020. Serious financial problems are facing Japan after being hit badly by the credit crunch, and the escalating threat of War with North Korea. These should not be used as an excuse to fail to implement funding to prevent global warming.
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3 responses to “China & Japan Set Green Energy Targets”
1. Japan’s Next Leader Promises Climate Action | Global Changes September 7th, 2009 at 11:02
  
  [...] announcement will surely have more positive impact on the region, as the previous leader Taro Aso pledged cuts of only 8%. Japan will present its new target at December’s climate talks in [...]
2. homemade wind power turbines October 8th, 2009 at 10:22
  
  Things aren’t happening quickly enough. Things need to change NOW not tomorrow.
  
  The governments are trying to maintain a balancing act. They have the technology to cut emissions by a huge percentage within a decade but their hands are tied by the reliance on fossil fuels and the effect they have on the economy.
  
  If oil money wasn’t around, whole nations would collapse and there would be wars and famine and many other catastrophes.
3. Aaron Hazleton April 29th, 2010 at 20:35
  
  Love opinion. Maybe solar panels source could help someone save money.
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