It is perhaps fitting that April¡¯s Group of Seven Ministers¡¯ Meeting on Climate, Energy and Environment was held in Sapporo, because the view on final approach to New Chitose Airport provides a good education on the trickier aspects of Japan¡¯s climate challenge.
To the east is the expansive, coal-fired Tomato-Atsuma power station. To the west is the giant cooling tower from Tomakomai¡¯s paper factory, and the vague shapes of the Muroran steelworks on the horizon. And far ahead is Yubari, the former coal mining city that faced financial ruin a decade after its last mine closed.
Now, as the G7 heads to Hiroshima with climate change still high on the agenda, the question of how to ensure a just transition ¡ª a climate and energy response that doesn¡¯t leave behind the people and places who rely on high-emitting activities ¡ª is relevant for regions all over Japan. Planning for a just transition ¡ª translated into Japanese as ¡°k¨sei na ik¨¡± ¡ª is another aspect of climate action where international environmental organizations and researchers claim Japan is lagging, despite the Japanese government, in its 2021 Long-Term Strategy Under the Paris Agreement, making a commitment to ensuring a just transition for workers in carbon-intensive sectors.
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