The speech from Tuvalu’s foreign minister for COP26 delivered in knee-deep water to drive home the risks to his low-lying island nation also spoke to the wider catastrophic impacts of a rise in temperatures above 1.5°C. Despite all the talk at the summit, a record 36.3 billion tons of CO2 was released into the atmosphere in 2021, with that number on course to be topped again in 2022. As we approach COP27, the pledge to try and keep to that limit is becoming more urgent and more difficult to achieve. Emissions need to begin falling immediately to avoid breaching the 1.5°C threshold, but that requires bold and ambitious action.
A green growth approach, Japanese style
Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio laid out Japan’s commitments at COP26 for the following five years. These measures include an additional $10 billion to support decarbonization, in addition to doubling assistance for climate change adaptation to $14.8 billion.
This is part of Japan’s strategy to promote an international response to the climate crisis while taking into account the differing situations and needs in countries around the globe as they decarbonize. To that end, Japan is moving ahead with plans for cross-border technology transfer, as well as establishing related finance protocols, rules and standards.
On the domestic front, Japan is committed to a 46% cut in greenhouse gas emissions from fiscal year 2013 levels by fiscal year 2030 and net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. To contribute to this, a Green Growth Strategy was announced in 2021, with 14 key areas identified, including offshore wind, solar and other renewables, hydrogen, nuclear power, food and agriculture, transportation and construction. To help realize the required transformations and advances, a 2 trillion yen ($14.5 billion) Green Innovation Fund has been established to accelerate R&D and implementation.
Following on from these initiatives, a more detailed Clean Energy Strategy was presented in 2022, setting out pathways for specific sectors to drive growth and facilitate a demand-side energy transition.
The overarching goal is to create a virtuous cycle of economic growth and energy transition through investment and innovation, and thereby make tackling the climate crisis an opportunity rather than a cost.
Building an international path to a carbon-neutral future
Through a range of initiatives, innovations and measures, Japan has already reduced Energy-related CO2 emissions from its industrial sectors by 23.3% between 2013 and 2020. And Japanese companies are currently involved in groundbreaking projects at various stages of development and implementation that will move us closer to a decarbonized world.
Cities account for around 70% of global CO2 emissions, so changing how they are constructed and operated is vital. Leading Japanese developer Mori Building is addressing this via its Vertical Garden City (VGC) concept, with diverse but compact urban spaces, leveraging an underground-to-high-rise structure that puts nearly all of life’s necessities within walking distance. “The VGC approach increases greenery by 30% and through a range of energy solutions reduces consumption by 40% compared to regular cities,” explains MURATA Mariko of Mori Building’s urban planning and development division.
The flagship 54-floor Roppongi Hills Mori Tower embodies Japan’s strength in integrating solutions. Exemplifying the VGC concept, it combines 100% gas-fired power generation to supply electricity, heating and cooling throughout Roppongi Hills, along with other renewable technologies such as solar power with storage batteries to increase energy efficiency.
In addition to lowering power demand, the company is utilizing solutions such as renewable energy, green hydrogen and sewage heat recovery, and leveraging AI and the IoT to ensure optimal planning and operational efficiency. As well as contributions to meeting the 1.5°C target, “Our integrated system proved its strength in terms of BCP [business continuity plan] when it successfully supplied electricity throughout Roppongi Hills and also to the local utility TEPCO during the Great East Japan Earthquake,” explains MURATA.
Following the towering Shanghai World Financial Center, the next major international development for Mori Building is the Jakarta Office Tower Project (tentative name) in Indonesia, bringing the VGC concept to Southeast Asia for the first time.
In terms of decarbonized fuel, Japan has pioneered the development of hydrogen as a clean alternative with huge future potential, and Kawasaki Heavy Industries (KHI) is working to realize a comprehensive global liquified hydrogen supply chain. KHI has already launched the world’s first liquid hydrogen carrier vessel, which in collaboration with the Japanese and Australian governments, along with companies from both nations, recently carried hydrogen from Melbourne to Kobe.
In April, KHI obtained initial approval for a much larger hydrogen carrier vessel with a capacity of 160,000 m3 that will also be able to use the liquified gas as a fuel, one of the cutting-edge next-generation ships that Japan is currently developing.
KHI is also leading a consortium in the development of a range of hydrogen-fueled marine engines and a Marine Hydrogen Fuel System, with a goal of commercial deployment by 2029. “This project is possible through a 10-year R&D commitment combined with financial assistance from the Green Innovation Fund,” explains KHI’s HIGASHIDA Masanori.
“This will play a key role in realizing the next generation of ships which use CO2-free marine fuels,” says HIGASHIDA , who adds that, “Decarbonization and the utilization of hydrogen in shipping is vital to achieving net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.”
Hydrogen can also be used to produce ammonia, another promising zero-emission fuel that has the potential to turn coal into power without releasing CO2. The Japanese shipping industry has led the world in the use of LNG, and many of the lessons learned from development of that infrastructure are applicable for ammonia, notes NAKAMURA Toshi, an executive officer at shipping giant Nippon Yusen Kabushiki Kaisha (NYK Line).
As with hydrogen, there have been a range of technical and safety issues to overcome, but again with the backing of the Green Innovation Fund, ammonia is now on its way to commercialization as a maritime fuel. NYK Line is collaborating with partners including Japan Engine and IHI Power Systems, and in July 2022 received Approval in Principle (AiP) for the world’s first ammonia-fueled tugboat, which will operate in Tokyo Bay. The refitted vessel was, appropriately enough, previously the world’s first LNG-powered tugboat. NYK Line aims to have an ammonia carrier on the water by fiscal 2026. However, NAKAMURA believes that “Ammonia will be used widely first combusted with coal in power generation in Asia, beginning with Japan, and then in shipping.”
If 40% of global shipping was to switch to ammonia, that would create annual demand of around 200 million tons, points out NAKAMURA. And NYK Line has high hopes that the development of this new fuel will contribute not only to decarbonization but also to the revitalization of Japan’s shipping sector.
Facing the task ahead
As world leaders prepare to convene again at COP27, nobody doubts the magnitude of the task ahead: transforming our societies, economies and many aspects of how we live will take enormous, coordinated efforts. Japan has set out bold plans to both undertake ground-breaking projects and promote comprehensive international cooperation to accelerate the shift to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and so help limit the rise in global temperatures.