Japan’s energy crisis: lazy but unexamined
This NYT article refers to Japan’s 2050 carbon-neutral commitment, glossing over great context that stung to read. Here’s a quick vent that followed:
Japan has lived through a troubling past of public dissent, political favorings, and international pressure surrounding its energy policy and infrastructure. 2011’s tsunami and subsequent Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster produced national outcry surrounding the production of nuclear energy, a exceedingly-deployed alternative in the country to traditional carbon-based options. This spurred the closure of reactors over the Japanese islands, where now only 9 out of the 34 operable plants are in use today.
From the ashes, closed-door deals amongst Japan’s politically-savvy and multinational interests have formed an increased importation espousal of oil, coal, and natural gas. Until the advent of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s corruption crackdowns in recent years, these special interest contracts determined a murky future for Japan, irrevocably setting back the clock in its renewable development capacities. Despite this, world leaders are committing themselves to a green future, a standard that Japan appears struggling to uphold, if not for the sentiment that they may be beaten to carbon-neutrality by the red republic across the sea.
To this end, a 2050 target is winnable by a space of 10 years to China’s obligation; inherently-lazy given the country’s streamlined urban development structures and robust federal powers. They can do better — our leading climate forecast models demand it.
