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Official: Japan hopes to lead Asian zero-emissions push
Japan’s environment minister says the country will gradually phase out coal plants over the next two decades while developing new technologies to reduce, capture and recycle carbon.
International
TOKYO – Japan will gradually phase out coal plants over the next two decades while developing new technologies to reduce, capture and utilize carbon, Environment Minister Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi said Tuesday.
Yamaguchi said in an interview with The Associated Press that Japan hopes to lead a zero-emissions push in Asia and is preparing to introduce a carbon tax to meet its commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, creating stronger incentives to curb emissions.
“We cannot give details about what we will do with coal fired plants by 2030, but we will do our best to minimize emissions,” Yamaguchi said.
Current efforts in Japan, the world's third-largest economy, are focused on developing methods to burn ammonia in conventional coal-fired plants and gradually phasing out use of coal possibly sometime in the 2040s.
Environmental groups and critics are urging Japan to focus more on promoting renewable energy, saying current policies will just prolong use of coal and hinder reductions in carbon emissions.