Current Events > Japan gives environmentalists the finger, doubles down on coal

(+) Yeah! (+)

Japan will continue providing backing to new coal-fired power projects in developing countries, a Japanese government source said Monday, despite international efforts to move away from climate change-causing fossil fuels.

"There is a need for coal-fired power generation mainly from developing Asian countries where demand for energy is surging," the source told Kyodo News. "We're not planning to review our (infrastructure) export policy."

Tokyo's infrastructure export strategy stipulates that Japan will "in principle provide aid to install cutting-edge power generation facilities upon requests from countries as long as they are compelled to choose coal as their source of energy."

The government says it remains committed to coal due to it being a cost-effective power generation solution, and that new technology installed in place of aging, less efficient power stations can help countries reduce their overall emissions.

The Japanese government maintains that renewable energy sources remain too unreliable and expensive, despite their wide-scale uptake around the globe and significantly reducing cost.

During an ongoing U.N. climate conference in Madrid, Japan received a disparaging "Fossil of the Day" award from an international environmental group after the country's industry minister voiced a plan to continue using coal-fired power.

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres also called for countries to stop construction of new coal-fired plants from 2020 leading to expectations that Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi would voice a shift in Japan's position on coal in a speech scheduled for Wednesday.

In June, the government-linked Japan International Cooperation Agency signed an agreement with Bangladesh to extend a loan of up to 143.1 billion yen ($1.3 billion) for a coal-fired power generation project in the South Asian nation.

In April, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation, another government-linked institution, sealed an accord to offer an up to $1.2 billion loan to fund a Vietnamese coal-fired power generation project.

The loan is co-financed with other banks and covered by insurance from Nippon Export and Investment Insurance, funded by the government using taxpayer's money.

"We've been providing funding in line with government policy. That will continue to be the case," said a JICA official.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, a U.N. panel that assesses the science and provides guidance on how to deal with the impending crisis, has pointed out the need for renewables to provide 70 to 85 percent of global power supply by 2050.

It has recommended all but ending coal-fired power generation to minimize the impacts of global warming such as sea level rises and intensified weather events.

https://japantoday.com/category/politics/japan-to-keep-pushing-coal-in-developing-world-despite-criticism
https://i.imgur.com/FeYn55m.jpg

Guess what Japan is getting for Christmas?

coal
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I mean, nukes never seemed to work out for them.

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weird when their native religion worships nature

greta thunberg is gonna slam them

fohstick posted...

greta thunberg is gonna slam them

Joke's on her, they'll just turn her into an hentai comic.

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pogo_rabid posted...

Joke's on her, they'll just turn her into an hentai comic.

she's only 16. they wouldn't dare

japan has made hentai of real people before. though I am not sure if they did it of underage people ever. they have loli characters, but those are fictional. i'm not sure what the law in japan says on underage hentai of real people

fohstick posted...

she's only 16. they wouldn't dare

Japan: (laughs)

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This topic got fucked up fast.

Took 5 posts for CE to go from coal to a debate about underage porn
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Why Japan doesn't use wave power or geothermal energy is beyond me. They are in the ring of fire and surrounded by oceans, common sense says that those types of energy are actually feasible in Japan. Coal is a bad idea seeing that their air quality can get poor due to secondhand pollution from China.
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Hop103 posted...

Why Japan doesn't use wave power or geothermal energy is beyond me. They are in the ring of fire and surrounded by oceans, co

https://youtu.be/8CTeLy3Ujxc
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Hop103 posted...

Why Japan doesn't use wave power or geothermal energy is beyond me. They are in the ring of fire and surrounded by oceans, common sense says that those types of energy are actually feasible in Japan. Coal is a bad idea seeing that their air quality can get poor due to secondhand pollution from China.

For as technologically-advanced as Japan is, it is also surprisingly extremely stubborn and stuck-in-it-ways.

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Solar_Crimson posted...

For as technologically-advanced as Japan is, it is also surprisingly extremely stubborn and stuck-in-it-ways.

None of that in conservative America
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Coal plants should be banned world wide, tbh.

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Nuclear energy hasn't exactly worked out for them. Coal plants don't meltdown.

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It's fine though. We'll just get rid of more plastic bags and straws.
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Japan is not very environmental at all. Much like most other things it's all about appearances. Try explaining to someone here that coal burning in Japan is causing more damage to people's health than nuclear and you will likely be in for an awful time listening to an emotionally charged explosion devoid of facts. Want to see the most plastic wasting society in the first world? Come to Japan, and don't you dare suggest it's a problem, after all plastic gets recycled (actually that vast majority of it is burned, but we put it in the recycling first, so that counts). I am literally the only person I know who asks them not to give me a plastic bag and most people look at me weird and ask twice to make sure I don't want the glory that is disposable plastic bag to go with my single item purchase.

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Kolibri X posted...

Nuclear energy hasn't exactly worked out for them. Coal plants don't meltdown.

https://climate.nasa.gov/news/903/coal-and-gas-are-far-more-harmful-than-nuclear-power/

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Kolibri X posted...

Nuclear energy hasn't exactly worked out for them. Coal plants don't meltdown.

Yeah, they just constantly worsen health and contribute to deaths instead of only when something goes badly wrong.

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Asinine
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uwnim posted...

Yeah, they just constantly worsen health and contribute to deaths instead of only when something goes badly wrong.

But you understand how they could be weary of nuclear, no?

Also wave power is not a real replacement. Not only does it come with it own environmental hazards but coastal property is the most expensive property on earth to develop for. They're looking for real solutions for energy.

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UnfairRepresent posted...

This topic got fucked up fast.

Took 5 posts for CE to go from coal to a debate about underage porn

no shit

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At least in their case I sort of see why. Their near-miss after that earthquake probably sent the wind right up them.

Doesnt make the decision good, just understandable.

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nuclear plants dont meltdown anymore
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UnfairRepresent posted...

nuclear plants dont meltdown anymore

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fukushima_Daiichi_nuclear_disaster

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based japan. i wish i lived there

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myzz7 posted...

based japan. i wish i lived there

okbutytho
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UnfairRepresent posted...

nuclear plants dont meltdown anymore

The Fukushima plant didn't melt down but it got really close and exposed the weakness of requiring power to power your power plant (the cooling system needs to be online in order to keep the nuclear material stable). Being that close to a zone where a natural disaster could disable your plant's ability to stay powered is problematic.

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Solid Sonic posted...

The Fukushima plant didn't melt down

I know
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