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Japan gets 'fossil' award again as climate action slammed

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World CO2 emissions are first in China at 32.1%, second in the United States at 13.6%, third in India at 6.6%, fourth in Russia at 4.9%, and fifth in Japan at 3.2%.

May be look at emissions per capita - surely a fairer comparison.

We in the west are happy to buy the goods made cheaply in China but then turn around and complain about all their emissions that resulted from making that same stuff.

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11 ( +14 / -3 )

I hope Japan is working to develop environmentally friendly energy, which is also safe for the Japanese people . . .

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Japan doesn't deserve such an honor. What about China and the U.S., the two biggest CO2 emitting countries? The J gov should politely decline the award.

6 ( +22 / -16 )

Those tycoons who have sworn to arson our wonderful planet send their agents to patrol the net day and night. They pay their agents handsomely. The job of the agents is to oppress every manifestation of a desire to salvage our magnificent planet from the climate catastrope. The agents do their jobs well, using all kinds of nonsense arguments, including patronizing crude and rude pseudo-scientific arguments.

5 ( +11 / -6 )

Japan gets 'fossil' award again as climate action slammed

The gerontocrats of the LDP/Japan Inc. combine deserve this award, not the Japanese people.

Name names cowards; like Aso Taro, hypocrite Kishida, and the fossil fuel energy cohorts receiving subsidies from the public treasury.

5 ( +15 / -10 )

no other country other than China that should win the Fossil Prize every year. 

Yes, Chins is the largest emitter of greenhouse gases, but still has very low emissions per capita. Much lower than Japan for example.

In addition, it is the world's leader in both solar and wind installations - dwarfs all other countries combined.

The award is mostly for hypocrisy.

And if you read the details of why it was given to Japan, NZ and the US you'll see it is well deserved by all the winners .

5 ( +11 / -6 )

LindsayDec. 4  06:09 pm JST

The problem for Japan is not how they generate the power. It is how much power they generate. There is nothing conservative about Japan's power usage which forces them to generate huge amounts of power per capita.

That’s the point.!

Power conservation. There is no incentive for that. Power saving and conservation is not promoted. New technologies to reduce emissions are promoted but it simply starts with reduction of consommation.

My grand-parents generation, before the baby-boom change, used to save power as they knew it was not something coming without effort. Now, everything is granted for the new generation and many young use energy as a natural thing. Many in the office do never turn off computers or lights

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Japan gets 28% of its electricity from coal, the USA 20%. What I find surprising is that more of Japan's coal plants (and China's) have not been converted to burn gas. Gas is more efficient, costs less, and pollutes half as much. Burning natural gas for power is still bad, but better than burning coal.

By the way, we here in California were getting more than 20% of our power from coal a few decades ago, but today we get less than one half of a percent from coal, and that last coal plant is set to be closed down. Where there is a will, there is a way.

4 ( +12 / -8 )

Bottom line, the nations of the world need to do more to reduce green house gas emissions.

4 ( +8 / -4 )

What about China and the U.S., the two biggest CO2 emitting countries? 

The article mentions the US also got the award.

4 ( +6 / -2 )

We better get used to it, because there is only fossil awards from here on in unless something radical happens.

3 ( +6 / -3 )

I wonder if NHK will report this award.

2 ( +23 / -21 )

The problem for Japan is not how they generate the power. It is how much power they generate. There is nothing conservative about Japan's power usage which forces them to generate huge amounts of power per capita.

2 ( +9 / -7 )

It's a strange award. According to the attached site,

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?most_recent_value_desc

Carbon dioxide emissions per capita ranking;

Australia: 14.8, Canada: 13.6, United States: 13.0, Russia: 11.2, South Korea: 11.0, Japan: 8.0, China: 7.8

I wish they would take into account that it was the Japanese who invented the lithium ion battery and the blue LED.

2 ( +9 / -7 )

RyderToday 05:12 am JST

There is no such thing as green house gas. The percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere has not been this low in 300 million years.

It hasn't been this high in 300 million years. You weren't alive then and it is questionable you would be able to be alive then.

2 ( +6 / -4 )

tell me which country in the earth never use fossil power? 

There are a number of countries which produce 100% of their electricity using renewables. And Bhutan is actually carbon negative.

1 ( +9 / -8 )

It’s interesting that China is the world’s largest consumer of fossil fuels but it was not given the award

1 ( +5 / -4 )

5:36 pm today, reported by NHK, complete with mocking photo.

日本に「化石賞」 “気候変動対策に消極的” 国際NGOがCOP28で発表 | NHK | 脱炭素社会への動き

0 ( +6 / -6 )

An international environmental group gave Japan the thumbs down with its "fossil" award again on Sunday, criticizing the country for placing emphasis on coal-fired power despite its pledge to "contribute to global decarbonization."

As we often do, when it comes to energy, we can turn to the Energy Institute’s Statistical Review of World Energy, to see if and how Japan deserved the award. All the numbers you will see are for CY 2022.

And, as many things energy, it’s complicated.

We see Japan’s coal production at 0.7 million tonnes. But at the same time, we see coal imported at 4.82 exajoules, out of a world’s total 32.47. Close to 15%. That's a pretty big share.

So we turn to total coal consumed, in exajoules, at 4.92 inside the calendar year 2022. Which is 3.0% of the world’s share, when the Asia-Pacific region consumed 130.50, which is an 80% share of the world’s total.

Back to the 4.92 exajoules that Japan consumed in 2022. To put some more scale to this, China consumed 88.41, while at the other end, Australia consumed 1.55.

So, the award was likely to serve as a public scolding, and a disincentive towards Japan importing coal as fuel.

(The above was for coal for energy purposes only. And for commercial solid fuels only (i.e. bituminous coal and anthracite (hard coal), and lignite and brown (sub-bituminous) coal, and other commercial solid fuels). And includes coal produced for Coal-to-Liquids and Coal-to-Gas transformations. Our thanks to EI for the data; https://www.energyinst.org).

0 ( +3 / -3 )

Hervé L'EisaDec. 4 08:10 pm JST

The climate alarmist faux award is a farce.

You may not believe in climate change, but it believes in you!!!

0 ( +5 / -5 )

I little disappointed that my country of Australia miss out. Our leftist government are completely useless. Passing bill on the environment, spending taxes on unless unproven EV, wind and solar, that they have build new coal fired power stations to power these useless tech. If they follow Japan and spend funds into green hydrogen and dam building proven freely power.

0 ( +6 / -6 )

Still a lot of reflex Japan criticism

https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/EN.ATM.CO2E.PC?most_recent_value_desc

Carbon dioxide emissions per capita ranking;

Australia: 14.8, Canada: 13.6, United States: 13.0, Russia: 11.2, South Korea: 11.0, Japan: 8.0, China:

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Just because emissions per capita are low does not change the fact that China is the country with the highest CO2 emissions.

What China needs to do is immediately reduce its CO2 emissions and reduce other environmental pollution.

It is hard to say that China has achieved anything in terms of environmental pollution.

Solar panels and wind power generators are only produced in China because they are cheap, and the methods for disposing of solar panels themselves have not yet been properly established.

CO2 increase, desertification, PM2,5 air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, and all environmental destruction are occurring on a large scale in China.

The Chinese people, who are more busy making money than preserving the environment, are destroying the global environment.

I want you to take action before making excuses.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

NHK will certainly skip this one.

They certainly did. Not one word this evening.

-2 ( +5 / -7 )

The LDP along with other nations are continuing to pledge allegiance to global big oil, while the LDP nabobs continue to amass even greater wealth while making their citizens pay more for energy, and while the nation's soveriehnty is further weakened. all those crying "America or whichever country first", while supporting global big oil and showing their loyalty i to big oil and not their nations, stop whining about the cost of energy, elect new leaders and look at how the lifestyle you've chosen is the main reason you're paying so much. You chose to live where you do, and chose to buy the car you drive.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Nothingburger here. The country is NOT going to shut down no matter what energy source they choose. Be specific where you point the blame. Don't just blame the country. Blame a specific group.

I wonder who paid for this award. Who influenced it? Their motivation is sus to say the least.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

I almost thought it was an award for the actual age and mindset of the government.

-3 ( +13 / -16 )

Resource-poor Japan has been highly dependent on imports of fossil fuels such as coal and crude oil since the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster,

Since entering WW2, see invasion of Dutch East Indies. and alsoone excuse for bombing Pearl Harbor, i.e embargo of oil shipments. Japan Inc have not learned since then. Japan has relied on th US, Iran, Russia the UAE, Saudi Arabia and others instead of finding and developing alternatives to burning huge amounts of fossil fuels, which those of us living here breathe the fumes of every day. If oil is such a valuable resource why is it mostly burned.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

“Japan doesn't deserve such an honor. What about China and the U.S., the two biggest CO2 emitting countries? The J gov should politely decline the award.” Yeah, that’s because their populations are just a bit larger.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

CO2 emissions are being discussed in terms of curbing climate change, but I think it would be better to just give fossil awards to countries that emit a lot of CO2.

No matter what actions Japan takes, global CO2 emissions will not decrease.

World CO2 emissions are first in China at 32.1%, second in the United States at 13.6%, third in India at 6.6%, fourth in Russia at 4.9%, and fifth in Japan at 3.2%.

This is data for 2020, but there is no other country other than China that should win the Fossil Prize every year. It is necessary to check whether the environmental organization is influenced by China.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

I mean the country is being run by a bunch of fossils so is it any surprise?

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

Japan? A fossil! Please fax me the details!

-5 ( +9 / -14 )

ifd66Dec. 4 10:02 pm JST

We in the west are happy to buy the goods made cheaply in China but then turn around and complain about all their emissions that resulted from making that same stuff.

China can still choose to end coal and if that reduces their dumping of cheap crap around the world, so much the better.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

The government knows they need fossil fuels. Keep up the great work!

The world does not work with fossil fuels. the original renewable energy.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

NHK will certainly skip this one.

Anyone watched there online channel?

It is like something from North Korea.

-6 ( +20 / -26 )

Here's the reality, though that is inconvenient to the climate alarmists:

The so-called "green energy" sources are simply NOT reliable enough for a stable power grid.

Other sources, namely the "evil" fossil fuels and nuclear power are the ONLY ones that meet the needs of society in a stable, reliable way.

I personally have solar panels installed, but they are only modestly efficient during peak daylight hours in cloudless conditions. And in case of a grid failure (which does happen) I have a fossil fueled generator.

The climate alarmist faux award is a farce.

-6 ( +11 / -17 )

and yet life goes on. Amazing!

-7 ( +12 / -19 )

Look forward to seeing them being awarded this again next year, and the next, and the next.

All talk and no action.

-7 ( +10 / -17 )

There is no such thing as green house gas. The percentage of CO2 in the atmosphere has not been this low in 300 million years.

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Japan with abundant sun and geothermal power has to expand fossil fuel energy production?

No wonder Kishida was afraid to show his face in the group photo!

-8 ( +10 / -18 )

Japan doesn't deserve such an honor. What about China and the U.S., the two biggest CO2 emitting countries? The J gov should politely decline the award.

What’s the population of Japan? And the U.S.? Hands down Japan.

-9 ( +1 / -10 )

They like fossil fuels coz they are run by a bunch of old ones .

-11 ( +9 / -20 )

Not surprising, that's how Japan doing things !

-12 ( +17 / -29 )

who cares?

-17 ( +16 / -33 )

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