Japan's greenhouse gas emissions dropped 2.5% to a record low in the fiscal year through March 2023, according to government data released on Friday. The decline was attributed to reduced emissions in the industrial and service sectors.
Emissions for the 2022/23 year fell to the equivalent of 1.135 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide from 1.164 billion tons a year earlier, marking the lowest level since data collection began in 1990/91. This decrease followed a rise in emissions in 2021/22, the first increase in eight years.
The industrial sector saw a 5.3% decline, while the commercial and services sector experienced a 4.2% drop. However, the transportation sector witnessed a 3.9% rise due to increased passenger traffic as socioeconomic activities recovered from the pandemic, the environment ministry reported.
Japan, the world's fifth-largest emitter, aims to reduce emissions by 46% from 2013 levels by 2030. If achieved, emissions in 2030 will be 0.76 billion tons, representing a reduction of 19.3% from 2013.
“The emissions continued a steady decline trend, on track toward a net-zero target in 2050,” an official at the ministry said at a press conference.
Meanwhile, the amount of greenhouse gases absorbed by forests and other sources in 2022/23 fell 6.4% to 50.2 million tons due to the ageing of planted forests, the ministry said. Additionally, the amount absorbed by seagrass and seaweed beds, considered blue carbon ecosystems, was 350,000 tons. This marked the first time the ministry calculated this figure, representing a pioneering effort in the world.
Japan's emissions surged after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster led to reactor shutdowns and increased dependence on fossil fuels. Emissions peaked at 1.4 billion tons in 2013/14 but have since declined, aided by greater use of renewable energy and the gradual resumption of reactors.
Renewable energy accounted for 21.7% of the 1.01 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity generated in 2022/23, up 1.4 percentage points from the previous year. Nuclear energy fell 1.3 percentage points to 5.5%, while thermal power made up 72.8%, unchanged from the previous year.
