Climate Change
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio Attends the COP28 World Climate Summit Meeting
December 1, 2023
Prime Minister Kishida making a statement at the high-level segment (Photo: Cabinet Public Affiars Office)
Prime Minister Kishida making a statement at the high-level segment (Photo: Cabinet Public Affiars Office)
Prime Minister Kishida making a statement at the high-level segment (Photo: Cabinet Public Affiars Office)
On December 1, Prime Minister Kishida attended World Climate Action Summit, which was convened on the occasion of the COP28 (28th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations (UN) Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. He joined the opening session, and made a statement at the High-Level Segment for the Heads of State and Government. The summary of Prime Minister Kishida’s statement is as follows.
- Prime Minister Kishida stated that while the first ever Global Stocktake will be concluded at COP28, the world is not yet on the pathway to 1.5 degrees, and action by 2030 is critical to make a course correction, and also stated that achieving the global goal of net-zero by 2050, setting the economy-wide absolute reduction target covering all greenhouse gases and peaking global greenhouse gas emissions by 2025 are all required. Prime Minister called for all countries to work together to achieve the "common goal of net zero emissions through various pathways", which is the approach outlined by Japan at the G7 Hiroshima Summit.
- Prime Minister Kishida also stated that Japan will accelerate Green Transformation (GX) through initiatives including the implementation of the growth-oriented carbon pricing concept and the issuance of the world's first national transition bonds with international certification, and thereby Japan will contribute to global decarbonization. Noting that the first leaders meeting under the framework of the "Asia Zero Emissions Community (AZEC)" is scheduled to be held this month, Prime Minister expressed his strong determination to lead the effort in Asia, where accounts for half of the world's emissions, by fully utilizing Japan's financial and technological capabilities.
- Prime Minister Kishida reiterated that Japan will implement thorough energy conservation and intends to achieve maximum deployment of clean energy through making renewable energy as the main source of power, as well as utilizing nuclear power and other measures. As a country with the world's third largest solar energy provider, Prime Minister Kishida expressed that Japan endorses the Presidency's collective goals of tripling renewable energy capacity and others, and also expressed that in line with its pathway to net-zero, Japan will end new construction of domestic unabated coal power plants, while securing a stable energy supply.
- Prime Minister Kishida further announced that Japan’s commitment to mobilize up to approximately $70 billion USD climate finance from both public and private is also on track, and Japan is ready to contribute to the expansion of lending capacity totaling approximately $9 billion USD through the provision of credit enhancements to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as to contribute to the new fund of the African Development Bank.
