The Subtle Narratives that Guide Japan's Energy Transition
What my piece in the East Asia Forum argues
Japan was an outlier at the G7 Ministerial Meeting on Climate and Energy. Why? My piece in the East Asia Forum tries to answer this question.
As Part II of my post of the G7 meeting highlighted, Japan resisted a firm deadline on unabated coal phase-out. It was adamant that investments in gas should continue. It pushed for the use of ammonia and hydrogen in the power sector - a questionable technology for emissions reduction.
In the EAF contribution, I argue that Japan's unique set of narratives on decarbonization plays a big role.
Japan wanted to advance the concept of "common goal, diverse pathways" at the G7. This idea is made up of several narratives:
Japan is resource-poor and geographically unique. Therefore it can't massively scale up renewables
As a country obsessed with energy security (for good reasons), Japan need to rely on every source of energy, including nuclear and large amounts of fossil fuels
Asia's energy transition must include a continued use of coal and gas: For a region with growing economies, growing populations and growing energy demand, fossil fuels offer necessary base load power. Plus, the young coal plants in Asia can't be retired early
To reconcile conflicting goals of continued fossil fuel use and decarbonization, Japan is going full-steam-ahead to develop technologies that allegedly reduce GHG emissions from coal and gas.
Several key studies cast grave doubt on the emissions reduction potential of these fossil fuel technologies.
What's most troubling is that Japan is also trying hard to export these technologies to the greater Asia region. This runs the risk of locking in emissions for decades to come under the guise of decarbonization.
What's to be done? I brief recommendation at the end of the East Asia Forum piece.
I’m working on an extended version of the piece for this blog as we speak. I should be able to publish it within a few days.
Until then, you can find the East Asia Forum article here.