TOKYO (New York Times) — Japan, a major emitter of greenhouse gases and a key player in the global warming debate, set a new target Wednesday that would reduce emissions 15 percent by 2020 from 2005 — a goal quickly slammed as inadequate by environmentalists.

Climate change campaigners have called on Japan to set steep targets to build momentum before global climate talks later this year in the Danish capital of Copenhagen. A strong commitment by rich countries is seen as crucial in persuading emerging economic giants like China and India to commit to their own emissions reductions.
But Japan’s target of reducing emissions 15 percent, announced by Prime Minister Taro Aso in a televised news conference Wednesday, comes to just 8 percent below emissions levels in Tokyo in 1990. That is not much more, environmentalists say, than the 6 percent cut by 2012 that Tokyo committed to under the Kyoto Protocol. Japan has struggled to meet that target, with greenhouse gas emissions instead rising 9 percent from 1990.
Still, Mr. Aso called Japan’s new target “ambitious” and one that would require sacrifices from Japanese companies and the public. Raising fuel efficiency to achieve the goal can ultimately help Japan, he said. Mr. Aso has been keen to assert leadership in climate change ahead of national elections due later this year
“We are all responsible for stopping climate change,” Mr. Aso said. “We must ask the Japanese people to make sacrifices. That is the cost of saving our planet.”
The European Union has promised to cut emissions by 20 percent from levels in 1990, and by 30 percent if other wealthy nations follow suit.
In the United States, which did not sign the 1990 Kyoto pact, a bill that would reduce emissions by 17 percent by 2020 from 2005 levels recently cleared a congressional panel.
“Japan’s target is not nearly enough to stop the effects of global warming,” said Naoyuki Yamagishi, the head of the climate change program at the environmental advocacy group WWF Japan. “Japan has failed to step up to its international responsibilities,” he said.
Japanese businesses argue that their factories are already among the world’s most energy-efficient and that the country will struggle to cut greenhouse gas emissions further. Since the oil shocks of the 1970s, Japanese companies have pursued technologies that save energy, a drive that has made the country a leader in “green” cars and alternative energy.
In 2006, Japan emitted 0.24 kilograms of carbon dioxide per U.S. dollar in gross domestic product, less than half the level in the United States and a tenth of that in China. Though Japan has the second-largest economy, behind America, it ranks fifth in global emissions rankings, trailing the United States, China, Russia and India.
Industry leaders also warn that stringent targets for emissions reductions would hurt the frail Japanese economy. The country is in its worst recession since World War II, amid a collapse in global demand for its exports. Last month, industry groups took out a full-page advertisement in the largest daily paper in Japan, warning that steep targets for emissions reductions could hurt economic growth.
“The mid-term targets need to be fair to all countries, realistic, and place equal burden on a country’s citizens,” the Keidanren, the largest business lobby in Japan, said in a statement Tuesday. The lobby had backed a target that would have allowed for a 4 percent increase in emissions from 1990, or a 4 percent decrease compared with 2005.
The government had been considering a range of targets, from the 4 percent increase from 1990 that was backed by industry to one backed by environmentalist groups that would cut emissions by 25 percent.
Mr. Aso was quick to point out that unlike targets set under the Kyoto Protocol, which allowed countries to use emissions offsets and other methods, the 15 percent decrease will come from actual cuts. The government recently introduced subsidies that encourage the use of solar power in Japanese homes, as well as incentives on low-emission cars.
The 15 percent target, Mr. Aso stressed, was a compromise he had reached after consulting extensively with scientists and economists, as well as with members of the public.
To meet the target, Japan will pursue breakthroughs in environmental technology, as well as expand the use of nuclear energy. Mr. Aso has said Tokyo aimed to expand solar output by a factor of 20 and put more “green” cars on Japanese roads. He said he believed Japanese companies could increase efficiency even further.
Meanwhile, Mr. Aso said it was imperative for countries not signatory to the Kyoto Protocol, like the United States and China, to join in the next round of talks. The Kyoto pact covered countries responsible for just 29 percent of global emissions, he said.
“China has already become one of the world’s top emitters,” Mr. Aso said. “Unless these countries participate, the Copenhagen meeting cannot succeed.”
Tsutomu Toichi, who heads the Institute of Energy Economics, an independent research organization, said Japan would struggle to meet its new emissions goals.
“Japan’s target is a compromise, but it’s still a tough one for Japan to meet,” Mr. Toichi said. “Japanese companies are already extremely energy efficient, so there’s much less room for improvement compared to other countries.”
Environmental groups say Japanese leaders are only giving excuses.
“Japan should stop talking about why it can’t, and start working on ways it can,” said Mr. Yamagishi at WWF. “If Japan’s really a leader in environmental technology, it needs to pursue more ambitious targets.”
Photo:
Prime Minister Taro Aso of Japan announced a new target Wednesday that would reduce emissions 15 percent by 2020 from 2005. (AP/Itsuo Inouye)