Global Environmental Politics in Japan: EvidenceBased Policy Making

1
Global Environmental Politics in Japan
Evidence-Based Policy Making?

• Miranda Schreurs
• Forschungsstelle für Umweltpolitik Freie
  Universität Berlin

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Japans Support for Agreements not Ratified by US

• Biodiversity Convention
• Cartegna Protocol on Biosafety
• Kyoto Protocol
• Convention on Anti-Personnel Mines
• Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic
  Pollutants
• Basel Convention on Transboundary Hazardous
  Wastes (but not amendment)

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Towards Environmental Cooperation in Northeast
Asia

• Northeast Asian Sub-regional Program of
  Environmental Cooperation (NEASPEC)
• Trilateral Environmental Ministers Meetings
  (TEMM)
• East Asian Acid Deposition Monitoring Network
  (EANET)
• Atmospheric Action Network of East Asia (AANEA)
  (NGO group)
• Prevention and Control of Dust and Sandstorms
  (DSS) regional program

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Activism in Global Environmental Policy

• Outgrowth of
• -foreign pressure (Montreal Protocol..)
• -international criticism (whaling, destructive
  ODA projects, tropical deforestation)
• -growing domestic concern with international
  environment
• -pluralization of environmental policy making

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Revamping of Domestic Environmental Laws

• 1990s-2000s period of rapid environmental
  regulatory change
• Numerous new environmental laws, including new
  Basic Environmental Law 1993 and Basic
  Environmental Plan 1994
• New laws on global warming, recycling, energy
  efficiency.

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Climate Change and Kyoto Protocol

• -grew out of ozone depletion case
• -1992 UNCED
• -1997 Kyoto Protocol (CO2 reductions of 1990
  levels by 2008-2012)
• -8 for EU -7 for US
• -6 for Japan
• -2000 US withdrawal from Kyoto Process
• -2002 EU, Japan ratification of Kyoto
• -2005 beginning of EU emissions trading system

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(No Transcript)
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German Watch 10 largest CO2 Emitters CO2
Emissions 2008 USA 21.44 China 18.80 Russia
5.69 Japan 4.47 India 4.23 Germany
3.00 Canada 2.02 United Kingdom Italy 1.67
Korea, Rep. 1.65 energy related
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Kyoto Protocol EU Bubble Agreement Member
State 1997 1998 Austria -25 -13 Belgium -1
0 -7.5 Denmark -25 -21 Finland 0 0 Fran
ce 0 0 Germany -25 -21 Greece 30 25
Ireland 15 13 Italy -7 -6.5 Luxembourg
-30 -28 Netherlands -10 -6.0 Portugal 40
27 Spain 17 15 Sweden 5 4 United
Kingdom -10 -12.5 European Union -15 -8
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Japan and Kyoto Protocol

• Japan commits to 6 percent reduction of CO2
  emissions relative to 1990 levels by 2008-2012
• Japan joins EU in ratifying Kyoto Protocol in
  2002, agreement goes into effect in 2005
• Japans 2003 emissions 13.1 above Kyoto target

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Japan as the (Ambivalent??, Fragmented??)
Middleman

• Japan ratifies Kyoto Protocol
• but only after convincing EU to accept conditions
  that had been pushed by US (meeting targets
  through joint implementation, CDM, emissions
  trading..)

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Japan backs Kyoto Protocol, but also
US-initiated

• Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and
  Environment
• U.S.-led Major Economies Meeting on Energy
  Security and Climate Change

13
Yoriko Koikes Cool Biz Campaign supported by
Koizumi (2005) air cons to be set at 28 degrees
C ( 82 degrees F) cutting about 1.4 million
tons of C02 emissions in 2006 (1/2 a month of
Tokyos emissions)
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Cool Earth 50

• Japan joins UK (-60), CA (-80), EU (20 by
  2020, 50 by 2050) in proposing long-term
  emission reduction goals
• Prime Minister Abe in May 2007 announces a 50
  target for global reductions by 2050 that
  involves all countries, but with flexibility in
  national plans, and introduction of financial
  mechanisms

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Cool Earth 50

• Innovative Technologies for CO2 Reductions
• Zero Emissions Coal-Fired Power Generation
• Advanced Nuclear Reactors
• High efficiency, low cost Solar
• Innovative Technology for Use of Hydrogen
• Super high energy efficiency technology

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1 Person, 1 Day, 1 Kilogram

• Strategy for gaining citizen participation
• individuals encouraged to calculate their carbon
  footprint and take counter measures to reduce
  their carbon emissions
• 212 companies are now participating in program
  offering special discounts on low-carbon
  footprint products

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But

• Japan far above Kyoto target
• METI/Keidanren opposed to a CO2 tax and until
  recently, emissions trading
• An emissions trading system offers many
  impediments to the dynamism of the private
  sectors and the function of market mechanisms in
  the truest sense. Given the issues that have been
  raised over the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU
  ETS), such a system should not be adopted in
  Japan where industry efforts are producing
  results. (Keidanren, Proposal for a Post-2012
  International Framework on Preventing Climate
  Change 2007)

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Japanese GHG emissions
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But

• Japan far above Kyoto target (13.8 above Kyoto
  target in 2006)
• METI/Keidanren opposed to a CO2 tax and until
  recently, opposed emissions trading (this may now
  be changing)
• An emissions trading system offers many
  impediments to the dynamism of the private
  sectors and the function of market mechanisms in
  the truest sense. Given the issues that have been
  raised over the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU
  ETS), such a system should not be adopted in
  Japan where industry efforts are producing
  results. (Keidanren, Proposal for a Post-2012
  International Framework on Preventing Climate
  Change 2007)

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and at the Bali Negotiations

• Japan sided with the US in opposing an EU
  proposal for a 25-40 emissions reduction target
  post-2012 for 2020 relative to 1990 (the EU
  proposal was based on IPCC estimates of emission
  cuts that would be necessary to maintain global
  temperature rises to 2 degrees C by mid-century).

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Prime Minister Fukuda

• Sees chance for Japanese leadership in
  influencing shape of a post-Kyoto Framework (with
  an eye toward the 2009 deadline established in
  the Bali Action Plan for concluding negotiations)
• But also awaiting upcoming US presidential
  election, which is likely to be a turning point
  in US position on climate change

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Fukuda in Davos, Switzerland (Jan 2008)

• We will seriously consider the decisions made by
  the EU, Canada, and Japan to halve global
  emissions by 2050
• Global environmental issues have now gone beyond
  the discussion stage to become real problems with
  significant effects on our day-to-day lives
• Climate change is the biggest human security
  issue

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Cool Earth Partnership Fund

• announces US10 billion in grants, aid, and
  technical assistance to help developing countries
  tackle climate change
• 8 billion for climate change mitigation
• 2 billion for switching to clean energy

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Fukuda States/Proposes

• Japan will continue to reduce emissions
  post-2012
• a global 30 energy efficiency improvement
  target for 2020
• 30 billion over 5 years for RD in energy and
  environment
• major emitting countries (developed and
  developing) come up with quantifiable reduction
  targets for a medium term goal
• that this be done through a bottom-up sector by
  sector strategy where emission potentials in
  individual sectors be determined (e.g. housing,
  transport, industries) and then tallied to
  determine a national reduction target (first
  time Japan agrees to quantified targets)
• Has called for equitable solutions that will
  bring the largest emitting countries the US,
  China, and India into the agreement

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Japan assuming role of middleman among

• EU Calling for concrete emission reduction
  targets for developed countries plus action by
  developing countries
• US Demanding participation of China, India and
  opposed to national emission reduction targets
• Developing Countries Arguing for equity, right
  to development, need for technology transfer,
  need for adaptation assistance

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Evidence Based Policy Making

• Evidence
• Domestic Politics
• Foreign Relations