# In pursuit of "Japan as a Low-carbon Society" Speech by H.E. Mr Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister at the Japan Press Club 9 June 2008

# Introduction

## The past, present and future

Last week I made brief visits to the Federal Republic of Germany, the United Kingdom (UK) and the Italian Republic. With exactly one month to go before the G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit, I had very useful exchanges of view with the leaders of four European countries.

Ironbridge, in the UK, where the world’s first iron bridge was built in the second half of the eighteenth century, is preserved as a World Heritage site.

Recognised as the start of the Industrial Revolution, the construction of the Iron Bridge was made possible by the use of coke, a fossil fuel that replaced charcoal to make the mass production of steel possible.

The energy source that underpinned the Industrial Revolution as symbolized by the Iron Bridge subsequently shifted from coal to petroleum. Through the use of fossil fuels, humanity has managed to build modern society at breakneck speed to this day.

Yet at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we face the depletion of natural resources and global warming. Our society stands at a major crossroads.

We can proudly look back on the achievements of the Industrial Revolution more than two hundred years ago. However, what is now at stake is how future generations will look back upon us in two hundred years' time.

Against the backdrop of these changes in history, today I should like to speak on the issue of global warming.

## Transforming into a low-carbon society

As the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has repeatedly warned, if we fail to address the issue global warming, it will force future generations into a critical situation.

Moreover, the world’s heavy dependence on fossil fuels, which lies behind the issue of global warming, is already giving loud warnings to the current generation.

When I was working for an oil company some forty years ago, the price of crude oil was just a dollar per barrel. It has been said since that time that Japan’s rapid post-war growth was made possible by cheap energy in the form of petroleum. Today, however, the price of oil has surpassed 130 dollars per barrel. In addition, the surge in energy prices, together with other causes, has triggered other serious issues including the rise in food prices and the difficulty of securing sufficient supplies of food.

Now is indeed the time when we must free ourselves from our dependence on fossil fuels since the wake of the Industrial Revolution. We must greatly shift the country’s helm towards a low-carbon society for the sake of future generations.

This is not an issue for Japan alone. Global warming is a global problem which knows no borders. Hence a broad, world-level perspective is the first requirement when discussing global warming.

At the same time, it is each Japanese citizen that will bring about a low-carbon society. Indeed, we should not forget that each member of the public is a stakeholder and a protagonist in this undertaking. We cannot achieve a low-carbon society without national action.

Achieving a low-carbon society requires a dual perspective: the need for a global undertaking, and at the same time that for grass-roots action by the whole nation.

## Stepping forward with confidence

Such transition to a low-carbon society is undoubtedly a major challenge confronting our generation. Yet we cannot meet this test only by viewing it as a burden upon us.

First, we should view the transition to a low-carbon society as “a new opportunity for economic growth”.

Countermeasures to global warming will create new demand, new jobs and new income. A low-carbon society is one that offers great opportunities for economic activity that is compatible with the environment.

The emerging global view that $ CO_{2} $ emissions are a lia-