This Country is Doubling Its Fight Against Greenhouse Gases

Japan has a big announcement to make at the G7 summit this June: a plan to almost double its current 2030 target to cut greenhouse emissions!

Upon becoming Japan’s leader, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has made the fight against global warming a priority, going as far as pledging to reach net-zero by 2050 and promising to “fundamentally shift” Japan’s coal policy. In that quest, Japan’s new target will go from a 26% to a 45% emissions cut by 2030 in comparison to its 2013 levels.

Over the last decades, despite the rise in fossil fuel energy sources following the 2011 Fukushima disaster, the use of solar power has increased since the cost of the energy source dropped. Under the new plan, renewables will account for 22 to 24% of power sources. To achieve its 2030 goal, Japan is expected to phase out coal-based electricity production and increase the green hydrogen production most likely needed for heavy industries.