I would like to commend Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama wholeheartedly for his determination to work toward a 25 percent reduction in greenhouse-gas emissions from 1990 levels by 2020. It is utterly absurd to question the feasibility of attaining this goal. Rather, the entire nation must recognize the unequivocal need to achieve it.
Should global warming be allowed to continue, the whole world will face an irreversible catastrophe by the middle of the century. Avoiding such consequences requires a 50 percent reduction in the world's greenhouse-gas emissions by 2050, which in turn makes it essential to reduce emissions 25 percent by 2020.
Despite this evidence, unfounded criticisms of Hatoyama have permeated the mass media. Critics assert that the projected 25 percent cut in carbon dioxide emissions will have an adverse impact on the economy, slow down growth in gross domestic product, hollow out Japan's manufacturing industry, raise the unemployment rate and further burden the household budget.