At last, Japan and South Korea are keeping pace with other advanced economies such as those of the European Union and with the regional superpower, China, in the fight against climate change. Both East Asian countries have declared, two days apart from one another, the goal of reducing net greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050, a more ambitious commitment than that of Beijing, which is aiming for "carbon neutrality" by 2060.

The new policies of Tokyo and Seoul represent an important step forward for both nations. Although they are behind the many states that have already declared their intention to decarbonise their economies by mid-century, what matters now is that they put this objective into practice. The challenges are numerous, some common to both countries, such as a marked dependence on fossil fuels in general and on coal in particular, and the still limited use of renewable sources.

Japan, zero emissions by 2050

"We aim for the decarbonisation of society," said newly appointed prime minister Suga Yoshihide, the successor to Abe Shinzo who resigned last September, in his first policy speech delivered on 26 October. From the very outset, he therefore decided to raise the bar on the country's climate commitment, which had until now been disappointing.

In the world's third-largest economy, the fifth in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, fossil fuel use has increased since nuclear energy production was halted in 2011 following the disaster at the Fukushima plant. At COP25 in Madrid, the Abe government refused both to give up coal and to strengthen its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for emissions reductions, despite all countries being called upon to do so by the end of this year in order to honour their commitments under the Paris Agreement.

The target set by Suga replaces the previous one of reducing emissions by 80 per cent by 2050. "Acting on climate change no longer means putting a brake on economic growth," he said in his speech, thereby acknowledging the economic benefits of the green economy and of renewables, and alluding to his government's primary concern, namely the economic recovery following the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The prime minister, however, gave no indication of how emissions will actually be brought to zero. The most recent national energy plan dates back to 2018. In addition to a nuclear energy share of 20–22 per cent of total demand and a fossil fuel share of 56 per cent, the plan envisages increasing renewables to 22–24 per cent, a threshold that has probably already been reached given that estimates from the International Energy Agency indicate that in the first half of this year Japan met 23 per cent of its energy demand with renewable sources. Following the new declaration, it is likely — and necessary — that these targets will be revised.

Then there is the question of coal, on which the country depends for 30 per cent of its energy. Suga limited himself to saying he wants to "fundamentally change national policy on coal," without providing further details, and that he wants to invest more in innovative technologies such as CO2 recycling and in nuclear energy. This last point has been strongly criticised by organisations such as WWF and Greenpeace Japan, whose executive director, Sam Annesley, commented: "almost ten years on from the nuclear disaster at Fukushima, we are still dealing with the disastrous consequences of nuclear energy, which has no role in a sustainable future."

Although belated, the fact that Japan has set a long-term target to meet its Paris Agreement commitments is a step forward. Zeroing out emissions does not only mean decarbonising society, but promoting self-sufficiency and energy security, and no longer having to import fossil fuels at a cost of 10 trillion yen (over 80 billion euros) a year.

Renewable energy institute

South Korea also aims for carbon neutrality

"We aim for emissions neutrality by 2050 in order to actively respond to the challenge of climate change in step with the international community." These were the words of South Korean president Moon Jae-in in a speech to parliament — the country had declared a national climate emergency last September. "We will replace coal with renewable energy and create a new market, new industries and new jobs," he said two days after the similar declarations by the Japanese head of government.

Seoul therefore appears ready to revolutionise its economy, the fourth largest in Asia and the twelfth globally. Currently, it derives only 5 per cent of its energy from renewable sources, the lowest rate among advanced economies according to the International Energy Agency, compared with 40 per cent from coal, and it is the seventh largest country in the world for greenhouse gas emissions.

Compared to Suga, President Moon provided more details regarding the measures to put the 2050 commitment into practice. He pledged 8 trillion won (6 billion euros) for a Korean Green New Deal, targeting sustainable growth within the economic recovery programme drawn up in response to the losses caused by the pandemic.

He also said that the country aims to phase out nuclear energy by 2060, a goal that reinforces the commitment made in 2017, when President Moon had recently come to power, to halt all new reactor construction projects. This is a significant choice given that South Korea is the world's fifth-largest producer of nuclear energy. The Green New Deal also envisages increasing the country's energy supply from renewable sources to 20 per cent over the next decade, ending financing for coal power plants in foreign countries, introducing a carbon tax and investing in the creation of urban forests.

There is a lot of work to be done immediately on many fronts to ensure that the declaration is implemented. Realistically, to achieve net zero emissions by 2050, it is essential to strengthen the 2030 targets, which are currently not robust enough.

Kim Joo-jin, CEO of Solutions for our climate

The focus must be on 2030

To achieve the 2050 targets, it is essential to set new and more ambitious ones for the next ten years. This is the view expressed by both Korean and Japanese environmental associations and organisations. "The government must establish a programme to immediately strengthen its actions, aiming for a significant reduction in emissions as early as 2030," according to Takejiro Sueyoshi, representative of the Japan climate initiative, a network bringing together more than one hundred local authorities (covering more than half of the national population), businesses, research institutes and Japanese NGOs that had already adopted the goal of carbon neutrality within the next thirty years.

"It is thanks to the pressure exerted by civil society actors and the business world that the Japanese government has made this decision," the Renewable energy institute declared, which promotes the adoption of renewable energy in Japan. According to the organisation, the current commitment to reducing emissions by 26 per cent by 2030 compared to 2013 levels must be increased to 45 per cent compared to 2010 levels, thus in line with the recommendations of the Ipcc Sr15 report. To achieve this, renewables would need to grow to 45 per cent of the energy supply and coal would have to be phased out entirely.

Sarah Colenbrander @s_colenbrander

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18 months ago, no major economies had pledged net-zero emissions by 2050. Look how far we've come.

❌ United States
✅ China (by 2060)
✅ Japan
✅ Germany
❌India
✅ United Kingdom
✅ France
✅ Italy
❌ Brazil
❌ Canada
❌ Russia
✅ South Korea
✅ Spain
❌ Australia
❌ Mexico

♥ 259💬 15 28 ott 2020 · Apri su X →

"We will be able to celebrate the government's 2050 declaration only if the 2030 targets are improved and if the energy transition needed to achieve them is set in motion," reads the statement from the Japanese institute. These recommendations apply not only to Japan but also to South Korea and all other countries called upon to demonstrate that their commitment to the climate is not merely made up of fine declarations of intent but, above all, of concrete action.