- English
According to Japan’s official Climate Change Policy Programme, the government aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent compared with its 1990 base year emissions, mainly through domestic actions, and then address a projected 1.6 percent shortfall of emission reductions by utilizing the Kyoto Mechanisms. It is pointed out, however, that the shortfall might be larger than estimated. Among the Kyoto Mechanisms, Japan’s priority is the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) and joint implementation (JI), at least for now. The Government of Japan has been actively promoting CDM and JI projects with this in mind and providing various kinds of promotion schemes to private firms and host countries, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. So far, these have been process-based promotion schemes, in which, regardless of whether or not firms can acquire credits, they are able to receive support from the government. In contrast, as the level of understanding of the CDM and JI in Japan and host countries increases and the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol (2008?2012) quickly approaches, results-based promotion schemes are required that reward only those who actually succeed in acquiring credits. It should be noted also that some Japanese firms are moving towards purchasing emission reduction credits or investing in CDM and JI projects. The subjective motive for buying credits is partly to offset their future emissions, but mainly it is to gain know-how in credits procurement through experience. The next two or three years might be the last opportunity for Japan to start preparations for the CDM and JI, in which it is anticipated that both the government and Japanese firms will become active players.
Remarks:
http://pub.iges.or.jp/modules/envirolib/view.php?docid=433
Full text is available on EBSCOhost database: http://www.ebscohost.com/
- English
