JAPAN SETS STANDARD FOR CARBON CUTTING

‘70% cut in CO2 emissions possible by 2050’
February 18, 2007 (The Yomiuri Shimbun via Daily Yomiuri Online)
- The adoption of energy-saving technologies could reduce the country's carbon dioxide output by 70 percent by 2050, according to…an Environment Ministry project team.

- The team calculated that the reduction would require an annual investment of 6.7 trillion yen to 9.8 trillion yen in such technologies…based on the adoption of realistic technologies such as fuel cells and biomass thermal-power generation, in two scenarios.
- One scenario involved a technology-focused approach that relied on innovative technologies, and the other involved a nature-orientated approach that focuses on energy-saving technologies…a 70 percent reduction would be possible with either scenario through energy-saving power generation and increased efficiency.
- An 80-percent reduction in transportation emissions would be possible with the use of more electric- and hydrogen-powered vehicles and smaller cities due to the expected drop in population.
- Energy-efficient homes could bring about a 50 percent reduction in household emissions…in addition to making electricity generation more efficient…
- Domestic CO2 emissions in 2005 were 1.364 billion tons…