By Junko Horiuchi
10 hours ago
Synopsis
The G-7 environment and energy ministers have committed to
the goal of achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and reaffirmed
their commitment to decarbonize the power sector by 2035, reducing CO2
emissions from G-7 vehicle stock by at least 50% by 2035 or earlier. However,
they did not set a clear deadline for ending coal power use, as Japan has been
hesitant to do so. The ministers agreed to phase out so-called unabated fossil
fuels, including gas, oil, and coal, in the power sector for the first time.
The ministers discussed hydrogen and its derivatives as a potential solution
for zero-emission thermal power generation, and they plan to ensure a
transparent and sustainable supply of critical minerals, including lithium and
cobalt. They also intend to reduce plastic pollution to zero by 2040.
SAPPORO-Group of Seven environment and energy ministers
vowed to accelerate the phase-out of natural gas and other fossil fuels to
achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 but failed to set a clear
deadline for ending coal power use after their two-day talks that ended Sunday.
Japan, which presided over the meeting in the northern city
of Sapporo, has been reluctant to agree to a specific time frame for ending the
resource-poor country's use of coal given its likely need to rely on the energy
source for at least most of the 2030s, despite a push by Britain and Canada to
end the practice.
Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi
Nishimura told a press conference that his country will work hard to phase out
so-called unabated fossil fuels, which includes gas, oil and coal, in the power
sector for the first time, after the G-7 agreed on aiming to do so.
Unabated is used to describe fossil fuels when a plant has
not invested in pollution control technologies, such as carbon capture and
storage.
The inclusion of natural gas within the phase-out goals adds
pressure on Japan, which plans to rely on the energy source for around 20
percent of its electricity generation in fiscal 2030, alongside coal for
roughly 19 percent and crude oil for around 2 percent.
"We confirmed we will achieve carbon neutrality while
recognizing that the path to reaching that target will vary depending on each
country's circumstances and energy situations," Nishimura said, suggesting
that the country maintains support from its G-7 peers on the use of fossil
fuels for now.
The ministers reiterated their countries' commitment to
"fully or predominantly" decarbonizing the power sector by 2035 in a
joint communique issued after their meeting.
The ministers also said in the communique they will seek to
collectively reduce carbon dioxide emissions from G-7 vehicle stock by at least
50 percent by 2035 or earlier, compared with emissions levels in 2000, as a
halfway point to achieving net zero.
Japan was cautious about setting specific numerical targets
regarding increasing zero-emission vehicles or electric vehicles in terms of
market volume given the competitiveness of the country's major automakers in
gasoline-electric and plug-in-hybrid vehicles.
The gathering marked the first of a series of in-person
ministerial meetings in the lead-up to the summit in May in Hiroshima, focusing
on ways to reach the G-7 members' target of realizing carbon neutrality by 2050
through a reduction in fossil fuel reliance and the expanded use of renewable
energy sources.
The G-7 reiterated the importance of "significantly
increasing the pace and scale of deployment of renewable energy" as part
of efforts to enhance energy security through diversifying energy supply,
citing the collective efforts made to increase offshore wind capacity of 150
gigawatts by 2030 and solar power to more than 1 terawatts by 2030.
Energy security has been a key agenda for G-7 ministers, who
represent the member states of Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan
and the United States plus the European Union, following the invasion of
Ukraine by Russia, a major fossil fuel exporter.
The Ukraine crisis caused prices of oil and gas to soar and
pushed some importers to shift to coal and natural gas, slowing efforts to cut
greenhouse gas emissions.
The G-7 also noted the use of hydrogen and its derivatives
such as ammonia in the power sector as a potential solution to working towards
zero-emission thermal power generation, a method Japan has been promoting.
Japan plans to make hydrogen a widely used source of energy,
as it only emits water when combusted. It will be used not only to power
vehicles and homes but also to reduce CO2 emissions from thermal plants by
mixing it with coal and gas.
The meeting took place amid a U.N. climate panel pressing
for rapid climate action, saying in a March report that for global temperature
rises to be kept to 1.5 C compared with pre-industrial levels -- the target
under the Paris Agreement -- the world needs to halve CO2 emissions by 2030
from 2019 levels and cut them by 65 percent by 2035.
In the communique, the G-7 highlighted their "increased
urgency" to reduce emissions in light of the latest findings in a report
by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
The G-7 also touched on responses to the 2011 Fukushima
nuclear plant disaster, triggered by an earthquake and tsunami, saying they
"support" the U.N. nuclear watchdog's review to ensure Japan's plan
of discharging treated radioactive water into the sea that had been the
building up in the crippled complex is safe.
The plan has faced opposition from the domestic fishery
industry, as well as neighboring countries, including China. The ministers
called for the disaster cleanup process to be conducted in "an open and
transparent manner, in close communication with the international
community."
The G-7 ministers also affirmed a plan to ensure a
transparent and sustainable supply of critical minerals, including lithium and
cobalt, the supply of which is dependent on certain countries, such as China.
Amid growing concerns over marine waste, the G-7 members
said they would work toward "the ambition" of reducing additional
plastic pollution to zero by 2040, moving forward a target agreed by the
broader Group of 20 framework in 2019 by 10 years.
Gist of communique for G-7 ministerial meeting on
environment, energy
The G-7:
-- vows to accelerate the phaseout of unmitigated fossil
fuels to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.
-- reaffirms its commitment to fully or predominantly
decarbonize the power sector by 2035.
-- will seek to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from G-7
vehicle stock by at least 50 percent by 2035 or earlier using emissions levels
in 2000 as a comparison point.
-- will work toward reducing additional plastic pollution to
zero by 2040.
-- did not come up with a clear deadline for ending coal
power use.
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