Japan was one of three countries to receive a satirical "Fossil of the Day" award this week from an international environmental group after the country's industry minister voiced a plan to continue using coal-fired power, one of the top causes of global warming.

The nongovernmental organization, Climate Action Network, announced the recipients of the award — Japan, Australia, and Brazil — on Tuesday at the venue of the U.N. climate change conference, COP25, in Madrid.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Hiroshi Kajiyama "snubbed the international community and the Paris Agreement," as the world shifts toward coal-free power, the NGO network said in a statement.