Japan's Kyoto gap widens as emissions rise http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=scienceNews&storyID=2006-10-17T142136Z_01_T78940_RTRUKOC_0_US-ENERGY-JAPAN-EMISSIONS.xml&WTmodLoc=SciNewsHome_C2_scienceNews-5
Tue Oct 17, 2006
By Ikuko Kao and Neil Chatterjee
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's greenhouse gas emissions rose 0.6 percent in the fiscal year to March as oil consumption for heating climbed, taking it further from its Kyoto Protocol target to cut pollution, the government said on Tuesday.
Japan's Environment Ministry said preliminary data showed emission of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2), were 1.364 billion tonnes in the fiscal year, reversing a slight decline in 2004-2005 and 14.1 percent above its Kyoto target.
The increase may be a further blow to the global pact to cut emissions of greenhouse gases that are blamed for global warming, as most European countries are lagging Kyoto targets, and may be an embarrassment to Japan, where the pact was signed.
"To achieve its Kyoto target Japan needs a carbon tax or an emissions trading scheme -- I think Japan can't succeed in its Kyoto target," said Kuniyuki Nishimura, director of the global warming research division of Mitsubishi Research Institute.
"The biggest factor for the rise was winter heating at homes and offices," a ministry official told Reuters, pointing to a winter that was the coldest in two decades.
STRUGGLE
The emission volumes were up 8.1 percent from the benchmark year of 1990 for Kyoto, under which Japan has to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 6 percent from 1990 levels by the 2008-2012 period. Analysts say it will struggle without placing mandatory caps on industrial emissions, like in Europe.
It may also need to dramatically increase investment in CO2-credit projects in developing nations, which it can use to offset higher pollution levels at home. Japan's budget to buy CO2 credits will be 5.4 billion yen ($45.14 million) for the fiscal year to March 2007, said government affiliate New Energy and Industry Development Organization, which is responsible for purchases.
This would only buy about 3 million tonnes worth of credits, equivalent to about 0.2 percent of Japan's emissions this year at current prices of around 12 euros a tonne for carbon credits from emissions-cutting projects.
"The government will review its emissions plan in the next fiscal year and may consider boosting up purchases of credits," the ministry official said.
Freezing winter, which saw heavy snow and temperatures in December dropping to the lowest level in 20 years, led to greater use of oil product kerosene for heating in many Japanese homes, where central heating is uncommon.
Industrial emissions edged up by only 0.2 percent in the 2005/06 year from the year before, while residential emissions grew by 4.5 percent, the government data showed.
Emissions from transport eased 1.8 percent.
"To make regulations for households is very hard," another official at the ministry told Reuters. "We're also on the curve of a recovering economy."
Japan's economy grew an annualized 1.0 percent in the April-June quarter, underpinned by robust domestic private-sector demand.
The government is still aiming for the bulk of emissions cuts to come from measures, such as voluntary industrial cuts, subsidies for solar power and promotion of energy conservation, hoping to avoid imposing limits on industry.
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