The agreement reached at the recent summit of the Group of Eight industrial nations (the G8) held in Italy to limit global warming to no more than 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) could help a post-Kyoto Protocol treaty materialize in December 2009.

According to Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission (EC), an agreement on the global temperature target, especially by the developing economies like the United States, could form the global benchmark and catalyst for the crucial negotiations on climate change to be held in Copenhagen in Denmark in December 2009.

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Tokyo will soon require domestic electricity companies to buy surplus solar power generated by households at about twice the current price.

The plan will come into effect as early as April the start of Japan’s new fiscal year. Tokyo wants to promote solar power as part of Japan’s efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

“Japan has already led solar power technology in the world. With the scheme, we would like to firmly secure the lead.”

Japan’s utility companies now voluntarily buy surplus electricity from domestic solar panels. A bill will go to parliament to make buying mandatory for power companies at double the current price. Homeowners will be able to recover the initial cost of installing photovoltaic cell systems quicker and more homes will be encouraged to install solar panels.

Japan has pledged a 10-fold increase in solar power use by 2020 from today’s level and offer solar power systems at half the current price within four years.

Japan is badly behind in meeting its own targets under the Kyoto Protocol. With this new scheme, they will start catching up, or else.

Image courtesy of lcrf

he problem is not why Japan cannot meet its protocol goals. The problem is why Japan doesn’t know WHY it’s not meeting its goal. Consider these two most recent Christmas displays.

This one is not technically a Christmas display, but it’s Christmas, and here it is. It’s called the Kobe Luminarie in central Kobe, home of Kobe Bryant and Kobe beef. The Luminarie has been running annually since 1996. It will end on Dec. 15th. It is built to remember the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake. GP thinks that Japan could remember those who died in the earthquake by taking better care of the environment left for those who are still alive.

This one is a Christmas display.

It is the Caretta OCEAN Christmas 2008 at Shiodome in Tokyo and will run through Dec 25.

Maybe…maybe…Japan could learn a lesson from the guys who made this tunnel at the Toki no Sumba resort in Shizuoka prefecture. The entire thing is lit up with lights from solar power.

Now, if they could just figure out how to do the Christmas displays and commemorations with solar power at night, eh?

The latest data about Japan’s greenhouse-gas emissions cast a serious doubt over the Japan’s commitment to its Kyoto Protocol efforts.

The Environment Ministry reported Japan’s emissions hit a record high of carbon dioxide, 8.7% more than what Japan spewed in 1990. The 1997 Kyoto treaty calls for Japan to reduce its emissions to 6% BELOW the 1990 level. Japan is going the wrong way.

Emissions grew 2.3% since last year, largely in part to the closing of Japan’s largest nuclear power plant in Niigata Prefecture because of an earthquake in the region. Consequently, Japan has had to rely on electrical output from thermal power plants, which are heavy CO2 dischargers. Japanese households have produced 8.4% more greenhouse gases than last year. The unusually hot summer led to increased use of air conditioners.

In the next five years they needs to cut its emissions by 13.5% to meet its commitment and Japan’s best bet is either to plant more trees or increase the capacity utilization ratio of its nuclear power plant, up from 60.7%. A ratio 84.2% (1998), and Japan would have coughed up 5% less greenhouse gas in 2007.

The economy, however, is slowing. As production falls, so too will emissions. Japan needs to cut 50 million metric tons, per year. The steel industry lowered its emissions last year to 1% below its 1990 level despite an 8% increase in crude steel output. The chemical sector is 7% higher than its 1990 figure.

Japan is not going to make it. So, now what?

Source: Nikkei (sub req)
Image courtesy of hubbbadyabutters