Japan could cut its greenhouse gas emissions between 20 and 27 percent by 2030 if it relies solely on domestic measures and based on the nation's reliance on nuclear power, projections by the Envir
A UNESCO panel of experts has recommended that Japan's largest evergreen broadleaf forest, in Miyazaki Prefecture, be registered as an eco-park, the culture ministry announced Wednesday.
An advisory panel to the industry ministry finalized four options for the nation's future energy mix to be presented to the government as it prepares to compile a new policy this summer, the panel'
The government is considering the introduction of carbon footprint labels for food and other daily products as early as next fiscal year as part of its efforts to fight global warming, officials said Monday. The labels would display the total amount of carbon dioxide emitted during the production, marketing and distribution of the items. Carbon footprint labels have already been attached to about 75 products sold in the British market and there is growing interest in the system from other industrialized countries, including Japan, the officials said.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda and his British counterpart, Gordon Brown, agreed Monday on the importance of the Group of Eight nations coordinating closely to tackle rising crude oil and food prices around the world. Speaking at a joint news conference following their talks in London, the two leaders also shared the view that the G8 leaders must send out a strong message for dealing with climate change during their July summit in Hokkaido.
I f If there is one topic that has been catching a lot of attention lately, it is the global rise in prices for resources, especially the most precious resource of all: food. While gas prices may force drivers to reduce their time behind the wheel, rising food prices really hurt.
Leaders of the Group of Eight powers plans to issue a special statement on food security during their July summit in Hokkaido in a concerted effort to cushion the negative effects of surging food prices, Japanese government sources said Saturday. It will be the first time for leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States to issue a statement exclusively focused on food issues, the sources said.
Investing in agriculture in Africa to solve food shortages is more important than just reacting to the continent's present food crisis, according to the leader of a U.N. food aid organization. "The real underlying problem is a long-term one; productivity growth in agriculture is going down," International Fund for Agricultural Development President Lennart Bage said in a Thursday interview with The Japan Times.
Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda pledged Thursday $50 million in additional aid for Africa to deal with soaring food prices and the World Bank and three U.N. food-related organizations renewed their commitment to address food shortages and high food prices on the continent.
Environment Minister Ichiro Kamoshita voiced expectations Sunday that Group of Eight leaders will agree to a Japan-advocated long-term target of halving global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 during their July summit in Hokkaido. On the second day of a three-day meeting of G-8 environment ministers in Kobe, Kamoshita called for the launch of an international network of institutions to facilitate the transition to low-carbon societies, a prerequisite to achieving the target.
