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Japan's climate change efforts hindered by biased business lobby: study

21 Comments
By Aaron Sheldrick

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Japan's powerful business lobby Keidanren is dominated by energy-intensive sectors that represent less than 10% of the economy

The fossils running Japan's fossil economy are looking out for their own financial interests, as well as those of the globe's fossil powers.

I can't imagine any time soon we'll stop burning oil, gas and coal. But we need to greatly decrease our dependence on them. We first need to find ways to conserve more, while also finding better ways to use alternatives to burning and wasting so much oil, gas and coal.

And we need to stop wars for greater control of oil and gas. And their shipment. Unless we want to keep the same fossils running things. The fossils want wars for oil.

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Figures, whenever a government policy seems completely at odds with the public interest, its probably exists because Keidanren’s membership profits from it.

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Whenever control can be exerted for the benefit of the few then the majority is excluded.

This is the case in Japan in many spheres.

Living downwind of a power station is no joke...

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Japan hindered by biased business lobby

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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

This is just show another Japanese Industry that only interested for nothing to be changed in Japan. Realizing or not, that only will decrease competitiveness of domestic companies.

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One corporate climate lobbying group complaining about another lobby group. InfluenceMap governance and staff do not look like a very diverse group.

-6 ( +1 / -7 )

You're the only one speaking in tongues here, matey.

You may be the only one here who cannot recognize humor, my Lad.

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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 favor coal and hindering attempts to combat climate change

Sounds depressingly familiar.

Sometimes it feels like we really are a virus, attacking Gaia.

I hope that more and more young people take up the baton and their voices are heard over the corporate planet polluters and cynical folks who gave up the fight, or simply don't care.

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InfluenceMap governance and staff do not look like a very diverse group.

What does diversity have to do with their findings?

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@rainyday

Everything, as their finding are viewed through a white lens. Is the "climate crisis" the new white man's burden in which they need to preach to the unenlightened? It is easy for them to criticize as they don't need to worry about all the workers relying on fossil fuels to put food on the table.

-4 ( +2 / -6 )

Japan's business hindered by biased climate change study: lobby

The picture of the coal bucket filled with coal is a reality for many humans who want to keep warm as it was for me as a young farm boy bringing in buckets of coal from the coal shed. We would have frozen to death many winters. But that was before Strip-Mining. Now we're rich because of the coal found on our rural dirt farm. So now we must all Save the Planet I tell you! Don't you deny it!

-4 ( +1 / -5 )

Is this a surprise to anyone.

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Everything, as their finding are viewed through a white lens. Is the "climate crisis" the new white man's burden in which they need to preach to the unenlightened? It is easy for them to criticize as they don't need to worry about all the workers relying on fossil fuels to put food on the table.

So in other words you didn’t read their report and find this talking point to be an easier way to respond?

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As with the corona .... issue it is health vs economic.

And more than health even with this one.

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It’s a good for such a studies or news to be exposed for public. I wish it’s spreading more

It’s a similar case to that IT industry in Japan has been behind of other advanced counties like USA, Taiwan and South Korea. etc.

Something power (which is a few people with high social status) has hindered new attempts by holing on their old ideas

5 ( +5 / -0 )

Backcasting to say no more coal mines neither in Kyushu nor Hokkaido.

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Baffling that any wealthy country in the 21st century would want to increase coal usage. It’s no secret or mystery how awful it is the for environment.

Japan likes to sell itself as a technologically advanced country (would you like to hear more about some microscopically small hydrogen fuel cell program for the 100th time?), but then they turn around and make a 19th century energy policy. Can’t have it both ways, folks.

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with companies planning to build around 20 new coal-fired plants with total capacity of about 12,000 megawatts, within a decade

It would be helpful to point out how many older style coal plants will close in the same period. I undersatnd it's far more than 20. (100 to be closed by 2030 is what I've read.)

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

and albaleo? your point?

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and albaleo? your point?

The figures I asked for would indicate better how CO2 emissions will change in the coming years. The article appears to be critical of the building of new coal plants. But if no new coal plants were built, and current plants continued operating, the situation would be worse than now. I'd just like to see the complete picture before passing an opinion.

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