Shinjiro Koizumi, the recently appointed Environment Minister of Japan said on September 22 that in order to motivate young people to act towards climate change is to make the fight, “fun”. The coal-dependent country has a new climate action idea to reduce the carbon emissions and it is to make the process “sexy”. As the Japanese politician prepares himself for the 74th United Nations General Assembly summit in New York, he said that there are various political issues, which get monotonous. Therefore, in order to tackle huge issues like climate change, Koizumi believes that it should be fun, cool, and sexy too. The environment minister also claimed that Japan is committed to realizing the importance of a decarbonized society and they shall contribute powerfully in the fight against climate emergency.

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Japanese students protested

On September 20, during the global climate strike which was initiated by a 16-year-old environment activist, Greta Thunberg, the Japanese students in Tokyo took on the streets. The students expressed their fear and anger over the failure of control in Carbon emissions. In Japan, the greenhouse gas emissions hit the highest ever mark in 2018. In New York, as Koizumi speaks in UN, reportedly the activists plan to float a blimp which will show the Prime Minister of Japan appearing from a bucket of coal. The protesters want to insist PM Shinzo Abe manufacture brand new coal-fired power plants. 

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Japan in the climate summit

Japan's turn to speak on the climate summit is not on September 23. However, the Environment Minister will evidently stay in New York to gather more knowledge about the state of negotiations on greenhouse gas emissions. Koizumi has also made plans to meet Japanese students while in the city.

Antonio Guterres, the UN Secretary-General, has insisted the governments inhibit any new constructions of coal power plants in 2020. This has created a crucial position for Japan, which is now the only G7 country to add coal-fired power generation capacity. Moreover, the Japanese government and banks also provide funds to new coal plants in Asia.

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