COP28: Japan wins infamous 'Fossil of the Day Award’ for broken promises

The Climate Action Network granted its annual award during the climate conference, noting that the Kishida government has been making a sale pitch for renewable energy linked to oil, gas and coal projects. Japan is one of more than 20 countries that announced plans in Dubai to triple global nuclear energy by 2050.

Tokyo-Dubai (AsiaNews) – On the sidelines of COP28, the United Nations climate conference taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Japan won the Fossil of the Day Award granted by the Climate Action Network for failing to follow up on its public statements at home and abroad pledging to develop renewable sources of energy and decarbonise.

The prize is awarded to countries that fail to deal with the threats of climate change, compared to their economic and social potential. Japan was the recipient of the Fossil Award in 2019, 2021 and 2022.

In a press release, the global network notes that Japan has not lived up to its public statements. Shinzo Abe's last government (2019) was the first to get the award, followed by the that of Yoshihide Suga (2021). Now under the Kishida administration, Japan “won” the prize for a second year in a row.

For the Climate Action Network, Japan has channelled its “public finances [. . .] into the fossil fuel projects responsible for this destruction rather than going towards financing the loss and damage caused by its own greenhouse gas emissions,” not to mention, “delaying the transition from fossil fuels to renewables”.

This year, Japan was not alone; the United States and New Zealand shared the Climate Action Network’s prize during COP28.

For his part, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said at the climate conference that Tokyo is working together with Southeast Asian countries to achieve the transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

The Japanese government is in fact promoting technology to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in thermal power generation by mixing ammonia with fuel. For the Climate Action Network, this is nothing more than greenwashing.

Japan has been trying to keep its “coal and gas plants running using the hydrogen and ammonia co-firing technology. This push to lock in fossil fuel-based energy across the continent is delaying the transition from fossil fuels to renewables, adding hurdles to achieving the global goal of tripling renewables” by 2030 in accordance with the targets set at previous COPs.

Japan lacks carbon-based energy sources, and is dependent on imports of coal and crude oil. This dependence increased after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster, with many of its nuclear power plants shut down along with the one damaged in the incident.

On Saturday, in a joint statement, more than 20 countries, including Japan and the United States, pledged in Dubai to triple the world's nuclear power capacity by 2050 to reduce global carbon emissions.

Japan has already adopted legislation earlier this year to allow the country's nuclear reactors to operate beyond their current 60-year limit and expects that about 20-22 per cent of its energy will come from nuclear power by fiscal year 2030.

The law seeks to ensure an adequate energy supply to Japan, where the use of nuclear energy continues to cause concern in the public following the 2011 incident.

• japan
• fossil of the day award
• coal
• oil
• gas
• nuclear
• dubai
• cop28
• fumio kishida
• shinzo abe
• yoshihide suga
• greenwashing