Chapter 3

# The Pathway to the Environmental Century

As stated in Chapter 1 and 2, human activities that burden the environment are still expanding, including the advancement of the development of global warming, increases in resource consumption and deterioration of biodiversity.

We are now at the crossroads of whether the choices we make at the beginning of the 21st century will be seen as the right decision by human beings 100 years from now. Under such severe recognition, Japan is trying to take a leading role in international society in resolving environmental issues including global warming.

# Section 1 International Negotiations with a View to the Future, 100 Years from Now and Japan’s Role in the Negotiations

Let us look at the discussion points in international negotiations that will decide the future of the earth and human beings and the role that Japan should play in international negotiations.

## 1 The Results of the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit

The G8 Environment Ministers meeting, that was held in Kobe in May 2008, where G8 Ministers and other officials gathered, gave beneficial input towards the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, held in July same year, in three areas—"Climate change", "Biodiversity" and "The 3Rs."

At the summit that was held in Hokkaido Toyako in July 2008, the G8 leaders came to an agreement on climate change issues including that all Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change will seek to share and adopt the long-term goal of at least halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The G8 leaders also acknowledged establishing ambitious mid-term goals for each country, while reflecting comparable efforts among all developed economies, in order to achieve absolute emissions reductions.

At the G8 Environment Ministers Meeting held in Syracuse, Italy in April 2009, the “Carta di Siracusa on Biodiversity”—the declaration on biodiversity was adopted, and discussions on the development and deployment of low carbon technologies, climate policy measures, biodiversity, and children’s health and the environment proposed by Japan were held in the context of the current financial and economic crisis.

## 2 The Framework for the Next Greenhouse Gas Emissions Reduction Agreement after the First Commitment Period of the Kyoto Protocol

The Kyoto Protocol sets a framework, insisting the advanced economies take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions as an international approach during the first commitment period (from 2008 to 2012). The total carbon dioxide emissions resulting from energy sources among countries bearing reduction obligations was only approximately 30% of the total global emissions as of 2006. Therefore, in the framework after the first commitment period, all parties are strongly expected to participate under the “principle of common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”

(1) International negotiations for the framework for the next greenhouse gas emissions reduction agreement after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol

At the 13th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP13) held in Bali, Indonesia in December 2007, the Bali Action Plan was adopted and agreed to reach an agreement by COP15 in 2009, in which all parties to the Convention should agree to the GHG emissions reduction framework starting from 2013, after the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol.

The Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term