NGOs slam Japan for investing abroad in carbon-polluting coal

Other posters have noted Japan's resources to make the next breakthrough in energy.

Why don't we feel a sense of urgency or opportunity?

SenseNotSoCommon: "Why don't we feel a sense of urgency or opportunity?"

Because the leaders of the nation today want to rely on old models and want quick profit for themselves, regardless of the expense to the environment and future generations. New technology requires more research, patience, and might not involve the bid-rigging and established cronyism that the current construction companies and models espouse and require.

Anyway, get ready for the "This is an attack on our culture!.... but please come and enjoy and give us your (positive) opinions of Japan, G7!"

Financing new coal plants and coal development in the era of dangerous climate change is blatantly reckless

And yet the developing countries in which these coal plants are being built will still produce less CO2 per person than each of the G7 nations.

Against my better judgement I'll be investing some of my cash into wind power here in the near future - there really is no reason to put money into coal as solar and wind could supply all of Japan's needs but coal investing is making money for investors

Coal is the biggest climate change culprit, generating more carbon pollution per unit of energy generated than oil or gas.

This does not apply to state-of-the-art coal power generators planned in Japan. CO2 generation of a coal plant differs dramatically depending on the burning method and quality of the coal. One cannot say the CO2 efficiency of all coal plants like that.

By the way, Germany has a large number of out dated coal plants. It also produces lowest quality coal.

Interesting that Germany was 2nd considering they have the most solar power in Europe and are second globally following China, then again japan is number 3 on the list for solar power. Business as usual i guess.

Sometimes I wonder if environmentalists actually think, or if they do that they really want all of us (particularly the poor) to die.

Coal is still the only energy source cheap enough to use to start the industrialization process. Logistical problems aside, there is simply no way for a third-world country to afford even cleaner fossil fuels, let alone renewable energy. There's never going to be sufficient financial support from industrialized nations to build them.

I guess that the third world should just stay where it is, with its hunger, poverty and disease; so long as the coal stays in the ground.

Ah, the two faces of Japan. Touting CO2 level cuts and alternative energy sources at home, but investing in fossil fuels in other fossil fuel dependant countries just to make a buck. It would be way too much to expect them to invest in developing alternative energy sources in other countries, wouldn't it?

Renewables are expensive, of poor efficiency, and unreliable. Batteries to smooth out the peaks and troughs cost major bucks as well. Coal, on the other hand, is cheap and plentiful.

People need a reality check. Renewables may indeed be the future, but how do you think everything will run until that day? You guessed it, coal.

I just hope this makes the main headlines in the national news but I'm not optimistic. The govenment here, particularly in this respect, needs to be publicy shamed - and here in Japan, not just in the overseas media outlets.

http://www.njspotlight.com/stories/16/05/24/a-more-reliable-power-grid-could-mean-lower-electricity-bills/

For New Jersey and surrounding region, the prices generators will be paid for capacity in 2019-2021 will run at $119 .77 per megawatt hour, a significant decline from the $225.42 they will get in 2018-2019. PJM secures supplies three years in advance to ensure reliable capacity.

So from $0.225 kWh to $0.119 projected rate decrease mostly from Pennsylvania natural gas dropping the price. =Coal prices will remain cheap. Would like to see more solar and wind generation in Japan = maybe up to the citizens to make the change first since the Gov seems hell bent on coal.

Basically Japan does not gain any from this since Japan does not export coal. Japan could have invested other energy plants including natural gas or oil but selected coal instead.

Borh natural gas and/or oil is much more costly then coal and I doubt those developing nations would have the engineering skills to maintain a LPG storage plant, oil refinery, nuclear power plant or any of the other renewable power sources so they will become useless with a decade which makes the funding useless as well.

On the otherhand if a developing nation was to gain energy infrastructure and build their economy then they will be able to shed out from coal as an energy source eventually.

It may not be the best solution but you need to give them the strength to stand on their own feet first before they choose their own destiny.

Japan is #3 in the world in percentage of installed solar capacity. Wind power is difficult because Japanese have stronger property rights and there isn't much land to start with. Wind turbines cause considerable sound problems for such a densely populated country.

But still, Japan is planning large off shore wind projects in the next few years.

And yet the developing countries in which these coal plants are being built will still produce less CO2 per person than >>each of the G7 nations.

CO2 per person means nothing, it is the total metrics in a year that count for the climate, same goes for the pollution of the sea, this is like TEPCO saying they are not releasing radioactivity because they dilute with so much water than they claim it is only a few bq/liter.

SenseNotSoCommonMAY. 25, 2016 - 04:25PM JST Other posters have noted Japan's resources to make the next breakthrough in energy. Why don't we feel a sense of urgency or opportunity?

History suggests that Japan as a whole needs to be at a crisis point before significant and positive change will occur. I really thought that the Tohoku earthquake/tsunami would have been another "black ships" moment. However, it seems that too many decades of prosperity with no pain have created a nation that can't think on it's feet or is able to take bold action. Further, as Tokyo was "inconvenienced" for a relatively short period of time and most of the nation not at all, the hope that the technologically advanced Japan would go boldly into a new energy future was false.

CO2 per person means nothing, it is the total metrics in a year that count for the climate

It matters a lot if you want to implement effective measures for reducing total CO2 output. Or are you suggesting that developing countries are offered a choice of remaining poor or spending huge amounts of money on renewable energy that isn't really effective yet? I think the alternative to Japan or other developed countries building new coal plants would be those countries building their own with less efficient technology.

Being big means having dirty washing somewhere.

The list of exporting countries reads as follows, EU equals CN, Germany more than half of EU, JP about 1/3 of the two, US double JP which is just ahead of SK and France. (Wiki 2015)

Small is beautiful.