Climate activists APMDD, PMCJ, Sanlakas, Oriang in the Philipppines, WALHI in Indonesia, and CLEAN Bangladesh in Bangladesh have staged mobilizations against the recently concluded Japan Energy Summit where companies and the Japan govt promoted fossil gas and other false solutions such as hydrogen and ammonia as integral investment plans.
The summit’s co-sponsor, JERA, is the country’s largest thermal power operator and contributes to 15% of their national emissions. In recent years, Japan has unveiled a massive energy investment plan that hinges on pushing for fossil gas and false solutions to Asian countries. If we want to see a just and equitable future, any fossil-based energy forms should not be part of the discussion.
“We register our strong opposition against fossil gas as transition fuel and reject the use of fossil-based technologies in Asia, such as hydrogen and ammonia. The Japanese government and financing institutions – both public and private – have been aggressively promoting fossil gas and hydrogen to capture the Asian market, especially those countries that are planning to shift away from coal. However, fossil gas combustion is not different from coal in terms of negative impacts to climate, environment and public health,” said Lidy Nacpil, coordinator of APMDD.
Napcil said fossil gas is a dirty energy source that is also responsible for more global warming than previously known. She added that using hydrogen as fuel will only serve to prolong the use of coal while carbon capture and storage (CCS), which Japan invests heavily on, are costly, technologically difficult and ineffective at reducing GHG emissions.
“The use of these false solutions will lead to failure in ensuring major cuts in greenhouse gases required to limit the Earth’s warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius to avoid a climate catastrophe,” said Nacpil.