TOKYO - Japan’s powerful business lobby Keidanren is dominated by energy-intensive sectors that represent less than 10% of the economy, resulting in national policies that favour coal and hindering attempts to combat climate change, a new study said.
The Keidanren, which has close ties with the trade and industry ministry as well as other government bodies, sits on expert panels and other forums where government policies are debated. It has acted as a ‘central negotiating point’ on climate policy for two decades, the report said. The Keidanren’s influence was seen last year when it argued that a target proposed by the government to reduce emissions by 80% by 2050 was “extremely ambitious” and pushed for any new target to be a “vision”, InfluenceMap said.
InfluenceMap noted that other groups in Japan which count blue-chip firms from the retail, finance, tech and construction sectors among their members - such as the Japan Climate Initiative and Japan Climate Leaders’ Partnership - have sharply criticised the government’s climate change efforts.
Coal now generates 32% of Japan's electricity, although the government wants that proportion to fall to 26% and renewables to climb to 22-24% from around 18% currently by 2030.
Shouldn’t that be Everybody, not just Japan?
Stupid delusion… Mo〜Ro〜N💙🌙♬
Hiroshima
This headline could be straight out of the onion, lol.