Japan’s emissions have inched lower led by a contraction in pollution from the industrial sector.
Emissions from the world’s fourth-largest economy slipped 2.3% in the year ending March 2023 to 1.085 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent, the environment ministry said Friday. While the new figure represents a 23% reduction from 2013 levels, it’s still a way off from the 46% reduction the government has pledged to make by 2030.
The drop was led by a 5.3% decline in emissions from the industrial sector as steel production fell which reduced power demand, the ministry said. Residential emissions also shrank 1.4% while pollution from vehicles increased 3.9%.
The data comes amid concern that the country isn’t doing enough to reduce its emissions. During a visit last month, top U.S. climate diplomat John Podesta said Japan should accelerate its renewable energy rollout and focus on technologies including offshore wind.
Fossil fuels still account for roughly 70% of the country’s power generation. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida pledged at COP28 last year not to build any more coal-fired plants domestically that lack carbon capture and storage technology.
Although Japan has ambitious offshore wind targets, it hasn’t yet dedicated significant resources to building out capacity. The country is currently on track for 4.4 gigawatts by 2030, BloombergNEF said late last year. That’s well short of its goal of reaching 10 gigawatts by the end of the decade.