Kaze, June 2021

Decarbonization without “growth strategy”
Konoe FUJIMURA
Prime Minister Suga s speech at the Leaders Summit on Climate
convened by President Biden in April accelerated decarbonization in Japan. At ameeting of the Central Environment Council held in late April, members (includingmyself) were requested to provide comments (for only 3 minutes) on the newpolicy designed by the Ministry of the Environment based on Mr. Suga s promise of
46%-50% GHG reduction by 2030.
The Council as a whole welcomed the renewed target but requested toshow the basis of the argument as well as the actual measures to be taken. They
also pointed out the need to listen to the voices of the people. Some members
from the industry sector still argued that the use of nuclear and fossil power
generation is unavoidable because renewable energy cannot fully supply thenecessary amount of energy, but the majority agreed that we need to make best
efforts toward a new decarbonized society, emphasizing the need of civic
education and elaboration along with necessary institutional modification andtechnological innovation.
To achieve the aggressive reduction target, we have to try harder thanever before. Among others, the energy issue connotes various institutional
challenges. In Japan, people do not choose renewable energy because it is priced
high. This is partly because people do not fully understand the urgent need fordecarbonization. However, what is behind is our government's economic policy infavor of big businesses. It is not conspicuous, but actually, they wish to maintainthe nuclear power generation and coal-fired power generation.
The government vision of the decarbonized society mentioned aboveindicates that the decarbonization of goods and services will promote lifestyleinnovation. However, we have never lived in such a society. To shift smoothly to a
new decarbonized lifestyle, we have to fully recognize why we need to bedecarbonized, what is the decarbonized society we wish to build, and then takeaction together to realize such a society.
It may not be so easy to live a decarbonized life in reality. The report
entitled “1.5-Degree Lifestyles: Targets and options for reducing lifestyle carbon
footprints” https://www.iges.or.jp/en/pub/15-degrees-lifestyles-2019/en tells us
how our life will be if we choose a decarbonized life to achieve the 1.5-degree
target of the Paris agreement. I have practiced a simple way of life, but even forme, the lifestyle indicated in the report sounds fairly demanding.
To act on our initiative, we need a system to cultivate proactive citizens.
Education for citizens, and citizen's participation in policymaking would benecessary. At the said Council meeting, we proposed a citizen s meeting onclimate, but unfortunately, Japan's Ministry of Environment does not show muchinterest in such activities. Rather, they frequently use in the past few years suchterms as “decarbonized society-the strategy for growth” and “carbon pricing
contributing to the strategy of growth”, which I felt uncomfortable with.
It is almost 50 years since the Limits of Growth was reported and thefinite nature of natural resources was widely noted. To decarbonize our life by
2050, we have to change the way of doing things. We have to stop seeking
quantitative growth and measuring economic development by GDP. The issue here
is how we can change the quality of growth. The Fukushima nuclear disaster 10years ago and this COVID-19 pandemic could have triggered momentum for thechange. However, the government of Japan failed to show its strong will to makesuch a fundamental change and separate itself from the concept of GROWTH.
In the meantime, responding to Greta Thunberg, many young people
joined the climate action to appeal climate crisis we are facing. Climate justicethey are claiming is an expression of anger. These young people are angry at what
the developed counties have done to pursue economic growth, at their profitoriented conduct which resulted in serious climate disasters, and at their unethicalattitude of passing the bills to the developing countries, the poor, and the futuregenerations. They raise their voices against the current economic and social
system that is depriving the future generation of the common resources on thisfinite earth. They are requesting to change this unequal, outrageous, andunethical global economy.
We, the older generations, are heavily responsible for the current state ofthe world, and therefore should support these young people. We should think hard
and take action together to change conventional ways of life/consumer attitudes.
Specifically, political and economic leaders are expected to show theirdetermination to shift away from pursuing economic growth. We should neverallow them to talk about nuclear power generation as a necessary measure toachieve the reduction target. It is against climate justice and environmental
ethics.
Last March, the Federal Constitutional Court of Germany made a landmark
decision that the existing Federal Climate Change Act is partly insufficient and has
to be amended because it might infringe the basic rights of future generations.
Chancellor Merkel quickly responded and announced the new reduction target toachieve net-zero CO2 by 2045.
In Germany, the Ethics Commission, soon after Fukushima, recommended
swift phase-out from the nuclear power generation. This time, the judiciary
accepted a part of the claims made by youth, and the government followed thejudicial decision despite the criticism from businesses. Compared with Japan spoor system of checks and balances, I cannot but highly admire the publicorganizations in Germany which are independent of the authority and take anaction based on their mission and justice. After Germany's example, Japanesepeople should try hard and take action to build an ethical and fair system.