Japan's top government panel finalised a list of additional measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet its Kyoto Protocol goal, mainly by extra voluntary agreements with industries and more energy conservation. Japan is set to revise the existing emission measures by March. Progress by Japan is critical to the success of the protocol as U.N.-led talks on a post-Kyoto pact have just begun.
Japan's top government panel finalised a list of additional measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet its Kyoto Protocol goal, mainly by extra voluntary agreements with industries and more energy conservation.
Japan is set to revise the existing emission measures by March. Progress by Japan is critical to the success of the protocol as U.N.-led talks on a post-Kyoto pact have just begun.
Japan, the only Asian country with Kyoto reduction responsibility, has been lagging behind its commitments to cut emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels over the 2008-2012 period.
Friday's list of additional anti-warming measures would help Japan cut roughly 35 to 36 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) equivalent a year, a government official said.
That would be just enough to make up additional emission of an estimated 20 to 34 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent Japan must cut in fiscal year beginning in April 2010.
The following are main points of the extra measures, compared with existing measures where necessary.
-- Voluntary agreements by a variety of industries, excluding the electric power companies, to cut emissions by a total 18 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year, in addition to some 424 million tonnes as a result of the existing measures.
-- The electric power industry such as Tokyo Electric Power Co <9501.T> held onto its voluntary agreement to cut CO2 output per kilowatt hour of electricity by 20 percent from current levels. That is estimated to be worth 76 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year, of which the industry plans to buy 24 million tonnes of CO2 credits via the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) scheme.
-- Extra upgrades in energy efficiency of auto vehicles and consumer electronics would result in annual reduction of 3.0 to 3.5 million tonnes and 1.5 to 2.0 tonnes in CO2 equivalent, respectively. Currently, annual reduction for autos is estimated at 21 million tonnes and that for electronics gadgets at 29 million tonnes.
-- More energy conservation in the housing sector would result in annual reduction of 1.8 million tonnes of CO2, in addition to 34 million tonnes by the existing measures.
-- Increased use of renewable energy sources is estimated to contribute an additional reduction of 1.3 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent a year. Currently, the renewable energy sector is estimated to cut 37.6 million tonnes of CO2 a year. (Reporting by Risa Maeda; editing by James Jukwey) ((
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