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METI, Environment Ministry Split On Best Way To Cut Emissions
2010-09-13 19:10:47.269 GMT
TOKYO (Nikkei)--The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the
Ministry of Environment are divided over whether or not to introduce mandatory
emissions caps to reduce global warming gases.
On Monday, an advisory council to the Minister of Economy held a subgroup
meeting on the environment, calling on industry to make voluntary efforts to
cut carbon dioxide emissions after the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2013.
Opposing a government-mandated cap-and-trade system, it proposed a looser
framework in which each industry would set realistic targets for government
inspections and evaluations.
The meeting participants agreed that enforcing a cap-and-trade system
would drive up market prices of emissions permits, exacerbating the corporate
burden.
By contrast, the Ministry of Environment believes that unless emissions
caps are placed on each company, Japan will not be able to achieve a nationwide
decrease. It therefore seeks to establish individual emissions limits on large
buildings and factories. Furthermore, a ministry analysis shows that trading
of CO2 credits would actually help businesses meet their targets at low cost.
(The Nikkei Sept. 14 morning edition)
-0- Sep/13/2010 19:10 GMT
