politics

Biden likely to push Japan to do more to combat climate change

25 Comments
By Sayo Sasaki

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I believe they have a prime minister who is actively trying to kill all energy production in Canada except unicorn tears.

Well he’s no right wing American climate change disbeliever for sure. But your description above is as accurate as a unicorn is real.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Muireall

Canada is going to need that gas sooner rather than later. I believe they have a prime minister who is actively trying to kill all energy production in Canada except unicorn tears.

-3 ( +0 / -3 )

As long as its not trade. Definitely , why not???

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

So Biden should stop being a hypocrite and clean up his own backyard before getting on Japan or even his good friends the Chinese.

Not big on using The Google, are you: https://joebiden.com/climate-plan/

It's silly to say that one must clean up their own before they can point out the problems of others. This is a problem that humanity needs to come together on, like we have for Covid research.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Biden needs to focus on pushing Trump out the White House door in January first.

That isn't how the US change in President works. Trump is President until noon on January 20th. That date is in the US Constitution.

Where I live in America most days are sunny, very few days are cloudy or rainy. Just hours and hours of sunshine (no it's not Florida). You would think that solar energy would be the way to go here, but it is very rare to see solar. It is also so expensive to install and maintain. Now why is that? Exactly

Where I live in America, it rains about 200 days a year. About 4 hours of average sunlight hit the area daily. There is scientific data about solar energy seen with all the stats for the last 100 yrs for most parts of America.

I just used an online calculator for solar installation in my ZIP code ( ~3 sq miles) with the goal to reduce the power bill. The estimated payback period for our house was 18-23+ yrs if we paid someone to handle everything and for all the necessary equipment. This left us tied into the electric grid, which is legally required here. A home without electric power service cannot be occupied legally. They say we need 24 panels to provide 80% of our electric needs. 30 panels to cover 100% power needs.

If I became the prime contractor for the entire job, the optimistic payback result is 13-17 years. Since I won't be climbing on the 30 ft high roof to install panels, DIY isn't an option, regardless of the huge savings.

The same problem for wind power in this location. Wind generation is big in many parts of the central USA. Alas, where I live, the average wind is 3 mph, next to nothing. It is illegal to put up a mast high enough to access winds of any speed to generate power.

I'm hoping for a Mr. Fusion that can be buried in the back yard and last 20 yrs producing 30 kWh for daily use.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I talked with someone who manages the rover pipeline here in America. This pipeline is going to provide Canada with natural gas. There is no stopping or closing of this pipeline and no real plans for America to be more "green" despite what Biden and the democrats say or want. Too many powerful politicans make their money from dirty energy and they are not all republicans.

Where I live in America most days are sunny, very few days are cloudy or rainy. Just hours and hours of sunshine (no it's not Florida). You would think that solar energy would be the way to go here, but it is very rare to see solar. It is also so expensive to install and maintain. Now why is that? Exactly.

So Biden should stop being a hypocrite and clean up his own backyard before getting on Japan or even his good friends the Chinese.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

How about India / China

They get a pass of course

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

How about India / China

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

@Attila,

You make excellent points, its the free market that develops innovation, not the government, and the game changer fairy dust technology that Biden promises has yet to be developed.

Every President deserves the initial euphoria and giddy giddy noise, Im just waiting for when Biden has to start giving press briefings and accountability for all this.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

US carbon emissions have been dropping for a decade, even with the population growing. From 6 million tons in 2007 to about 5.1 million tons last year. So good for them!

The biggest problems are in India and China. The Chinese are opening a coal fired power plant every week, they use more coal than the rest of the world combined.

Let the free market do its thing. The company that can produce consumer level renewable, sustainable and storable power will be rich beyond imagining. Artificial targets from political flunkies are irrelevant.

1 ( +5 / -4 )

I'm not sure why China would be mentioned in an article about

I would assume it is because Japan could not exist, and it wouldn't matter as much to climate change as China does.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Biden’s gunna need to find some legitimacy before he pushes anything onto anyone. Does he have any?

3 ( +8 / -5 )

Biden needs to focus on pushing Trump out the White House door in January first.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Finally the world has found a great leader to combat climate change! It is good to see that "Despicable TV host who totally denial of climate change" has gone! Biden is a brave man facing this terrible havoc now the world is suffering!

-4 ( +4 / -8 )

I'm not sure why China would be mentioned in an article about Japan's relationship with the US. The US can apply pressure to Japan. Applying the screws to China over is a different proposition (and one to likely have less success).

2 ( +6 / -4 )

America's climate record is very poor itself, but Japan could certainly do more. Some things that Japan buys from the USA, like beef and oversized cars, involve lots of emissions, but I presume Biden does not mean them.

Japan's zoning sees us driving increasingly further....

I don't know why it's happening now, but despite interest in cars among the young falling (くるま離れ), "huge supermarket plus a few other shops and services, plus a massive car park" type mini malls have been popping up on lots of sites in the past twenty years. Costcos too, of course. Traditional shotengais with lots of folks on bicycles and no car park are increasingly shuttered up. It's getting that the supermarket in the burbs is somewhere you drive to, as we do here in inaka. I don't know the factors driving this, it might be zoning, it might be customers expecting more choice from food retailers, it might be more women working like we see overseas, but the net result is more energy use and emissions.

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

Biden has vowed to "use every tool of American foreign policy to push the rest of the world to raise their (climate) ambitions alongside the United States," a sign that he may call for deeper cuts in carbon emissions by China, Japan and other major polluters.

China will continue to ignore any "tool" Biden has. If you read the Climate Control jobs energy plan, it looks like it was written by somebody lacking in facility, excuse me, lack of planning experience, because its full of the dreamy stuff the rest of the plans have for us.

The pivot to Asia precedence was a joke, for those of us who were actually in Japan at the time remember it only emboldened China even more, instead of the promised "containment".

1 ( +6 / -5 )

Interesting. Japans economy is in decline and their global carbon emissions dwarf in comparison to China. Why no mention?

Yeah, blame someone else.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Japan also has a record amount of debt and still trying to do it's part when it comes to climate change.

Lets not forget Japan got hit by a massive earthquake magnitude 9 followed by a giant Tsunami which damaged the Fukushima plant, forcing Japan to shut down all Nuclear Power plants in the country for many years.

U.S.A has been industrialized for the longest time, polluting for the biggest amount of time, has a GDP 5x of Japan, bigger then China and the average American consumes as much as 4 Chinese or Japanese... Do your part America and lead the climate battle. Not just wars!

2 ( +5 / -3 )

It's shake-down time. Gotta pay the capo de capo and keep up appearances.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Interesting. Japans economy is in decline and their global carbon emissions dwarf in comparison to China. Why no mention?

"China, currently still the world’s most populous country, also has a slightly higher than average level of emissions per capita. The latest World Bank figures give this as 7.5 tonnes per capita, which compares to 4.6 for France, 9.3 for Norway, 8.9 for Germany, 6.5 for the UK and 16.5 for the USA. The global average was 5.0 and the EU overall was 6.4. Given that China is still undergoing steady economic growth, it seems unlikely that the emissions per capita will decline steeply enough to avoid a continued increase in total emissions over the next decade or two. "

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Japan's zoning sees us driving increasingly further past ugly, unused and untaxed suburban dereliction to access amenities on wasteful green field developments. We're forced to spend more time in cars than walking or cycling for the most mundane activities, aided and abetted by a regime whose chief measure for societal progress remains the cement truck.

This must change.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

Everyone should tell the US to lead by example and continue doing what their current plans are.

After the US really makes significant gains (i.e. cuts to greenhouse gas emissions), then that country can push others.

The political ads have started up again here in GA for the runoff elections in January.

3 ( +7 / -4 )

Suga has already pledged to make Japan carbon-free by 2050

When will Suga get started on this? What are Suga's plans for 2021?

Once again the US needs to get its house in order. Until the US can show it is drastically reducing carbon emissions, until the US has implemented effective conservation measures, until the US has implemented alternatives to burning such huge amounts of oil and gas, it should shut up. NB Of course the US will continue to burn oil and gas, but it needs to burn far less. Same with Japan.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

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