Monday, November 18, 2013

AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY CONDEMNS JAPAN’S NEW 2020 TARGET

By Atayi Babs

The coalition of African civil society organisations participating at the ongoing Warsaw Climate talks under the aegis of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) has issued a strong condemnation of Japan’s goalpost-shifting tactics.

Japan announced its new 2020 emissions reduction target at the UN climate negotiations in Poland. While parties are negotiating to raise the level of ambition during this year’s meeting, Japan has now abandoned their 25% reduction target from 1990, and proposed 3.1% increase compared to 1990 levels.


Africa considers Japans new targets as “shocking and offensive” as this will have a serious and negative impact on the negotiations. According to Mithika Mwenda of PACJA, Japan’s plan to abandon the 25% emission reduction target and put forward a target with increased emissions is a betrayal to the continent of Africa which happens to be one of the largest markets for Japanese products. 

Warning Japan of the dire consequences of its planned action, leaders of the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance reiterated their commitment to ensuring that this year’s negotiations addresses the gap between the mitigation pledges of Parties and the emission reduction needed to keep the average global surface temperature rise to 2 from pre-industrial levels.


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