This proposal responds to Japan's effort to formulate its long-term GHG reduction strategy for 2050, as required under the Paris Agreement. It maps out the road Japan should take to realise a decarbonised society.
The proposal emphasises how the combined emissions of the energy and industrial sectors account for more than two-thirds of Japan's total emissions. A decarbonised society will, therefore, not be realisable without implementing focused reduction efforts in thermal power plants such as coal-fired power as well as in the industrial sector, mainly in primary materials industries such as steelmaking.
The five strategies to realising net-zero CO2 emissions in Japan by 2050 mentioned in the proposal include:
- Supply 40 to 50 percent of Japan's electricity with renewable energy by 2030;
- Phase out coal-fired power before 2030;
- Develop a new decarbonised business model for the basic material industries;
- Develop a strategy for zero-emission buildings; and
- Pursue decarbonisation in the transport sector.