Japan's Emissions Hit Record Low in FY 2020
Politics Dec 10, 2021
Tokyo, Dec. 10 (Jiji Press)--Japan's greenhouse gas emissions in fiscal 2020, which ended last March, fell 5.1 pct from the previous year to a record low due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Environment Ministry said in a preliminary report Friday.
The country's emissions totaled 1,149 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalents, marking their lowest level since comparable data began in fiscal 1990 and the seventh straight year in decline.
The pandemic sharply reduced emissions from the industrial sector such as factories and the transportation sector including automobiles and trains. Household emissions grew as more people worked from home.
The country is expected to be close to meeting its goal of cutting its emissions in fiscal 2030 by 46 pct from the fiscal 2013 level if the current pace of reductions continues, according to the ministry.
But a ministry official warned that the fiscal 2020 reduction was merely a result of economic disruptions from the pandemic. "We need to act more aggressively to achieve the goal," the official said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Jiji Press