CLASH OVER JAPAN EMISSIONS

CLASH OVER JAPAN EMISSIONS

By Mure Dickie in Tokyo 2009-06-11

Japan has clashed with China over its efforts to combat global warming, with Beijing condemning as inadequate promised cuts in emissions of polluting greenhouse gases that were unveiled by Tokyo yesterday.

Taro Aso, Japanese prime minister, told the Financial Times that his country's targeted reduction of 15 per cent in emissions from 2005 levels by 2020 was “ambitious” and made Japan the world leader in the fight against climate change.

But the proposed cut in emissions by the world's second largest economy drew a sharp response from China's top climate envoy as well as from campaigners. The clash underscored the differences that the world's most industrialised nations must overcome if they are to agree a new climate change deal by the end of the year.

“I do not believe it is a number that is close to what Japan needs to do, should do,” Chinese climate envoy Yu Qingtai was quoted by Reuters news agency as saying in Bonn. Japan's pledge amounts to an 8 per cent reduction in its emissions from 1990 levels, far less than the 20 per cent cut promised by the European Union.

Mr Aso said in an FT interview that it would be “very irresponsible” to aim for greater cuts in emissions without considering the impact on the public and industry, especially since Japan's economy already led the world in energy efficiency. “We believe that the target we are setting is ambitious and will allow us to continue to take the leadership [role)] in the world community,” Mr Aso said.

The prime minister also stressed that Japan's 2020 target, unlike that of the EU, did not include any purchase of foreign “carbon credits” or the planting of forests to offset emissions.

The new target for Japan, which is the world's fifth-biggest emitter of greenhouse gases, was announced alongside talks in Bonn intended to pave the way for agreement on an international treaty on global warming in December to replace the 1997 Kyoto protocol, which expires in 2012.

However, the Japanese pledge only highlighted the gulf between rich and poor nations on how to curb carbon dioxide and other gases that have been blamed for global warming. China last month demanded that developed nations cut greenhouse emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 compared with 1990. Yesterday, it ended three days of talks with the US without measurable progress.

Though Japan has pledged to cut emissions by 60-80 per cent by 2050, the setting of the 2020 target has been long delayed by fierce disagreement between politicians, officials, business leaders and campaigners.

日本因对抗全球变暖的努力方面与中国发生冲突。对于东京昨日承诺削减的温室气体排放量，北京谴责称，该减排目标力度不够。

日本首相麻生太郎(Taro Aso)向英国《金融时报》表示，日本的目标是到2020年将排放量较2005年水平降低15%，该目标是“雄心勃勃”的，使日本在遏制气候变化方面成为世界领先者。

但这个世界第二大经济体所提议的减排计划，遭到了中国气候问题最高特使及社会运动人士的尖锐回应。冲突凸显出，若要到今年底达成新的气候变化协定，全球工业化程度最高的几个国家必须克服什么样的的分歧。

路透社(Reuters)援引中国气候问题大使于庆泰在波恩发表的讲话称：“我不认为这个数字接近日本需要和应该达到的标准”。日本承诺的减排量，相当于在其1990年的水平上削减8%，远低于欧盟(EU)承诺的20%的减排量。

麻生太郎在接受英国《金融时报》采访时表示，设定更高的减排目标、而不考虑对公众和工业造成的冲击，是不负责任的，特别是在日本经济的能效已经引领全球的情况下。他表示：“我们相信，我们设定的目标是雄心勃勃的，它将使我们在国际社会中继续扮演引领（角色）”。

麻生太郎还强调，与欧盟不同，日本的2020年减排目标不包括任何购买外国“碳排放额度”或通过造林来抵消排放的计划。

日本是世界第五大温室气体排放国，该国宣布最新减排目标之际，一系列会谈正在波恩举行，旨在为今年12月达成有关全球变暖的国际协定做准备，新协定将取代1997年签订的、将于2012年到期的《京都议定书》。

在如何遏制二氧化碳及其它被指导致全球变暖的气体排放的问题上，贫富国家之间存在严重分歧，日本的减排承诺凸显了这一分歧。上月，中国要求发达国家到2020年将温室气体排放量在1990年水平基础上削减40%。中国与美国为期3天的会谈于昨日结束，会谈未取得显著进展。

虽然日本承诺到2050年减排60%至80%，但由于政客、官员、商界领袖和社会运动人士之间存在严重分歧，2020年的减排目标此前迟迟未出台。

译者/章晴