14 DAY TRIAL // In the aftermath of the Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011, when a total of three reactors suffered a meltdown after getting hit by tsunami birthed by a major earthquake, Japan was left with no choice but rethink its energy mix.
In a nutshell, the country had to pull the plug on its nuclear energy industry, and focus on other power sources that the general population was more comfortable with. Not at all surprisingly, renewables got significant attention.
What's interesting is that, according to local media reports, Japan is currently considering the possibility of making heavy investments in environmentally friendly energy sources such as solar or wind in the not-too-distant future.
Thus, Business Green tells us that, late last week, the country's current Environment Minister Nobutery Ishihara had a chitchat with members of the press and told them that Japan should aim for a 30% renewables target.
More precisely, it looks like Environment Minister Nobutery Ishihara is convinced that Japan should do its best to have renewables account for 30% of its energy mix by the year 2030. To put things into perspective, it need be said that the previous renewables target was one of just 20%.
This latest and quite ambitious renewables target was announced during a series of negotiations concerning the future of the country's energy sector. Granted, it has not yet been approved of – let alone implemented – but it does spell “good news” for Japan's power industry.
By the looks of it, Japanese Environment Minister Nobutery Ishihara is convinced that the country should invest more in renewables not only because of the urgency to curb pollution and limit climate change, but also because doing so is bound to yield noteworthy economic benefits.
Specifically, the Environment Minister believes that investing heavily in harvesting renewable energy sources over the years to come is bound to create new job opportunities and boost the country's economy while at the same time help Japan improve on its ecological footprint.
This drop in local air pollution levels should also benefit public health in Japan. This is because, as explained by the World Health Organization in a report released towards the end of last year, compounds originating from the use of fossil fuels can cause the people exposed to them to develop cancer.
For the time being, details concerning how Nobutery Ishihara expects Japan to meet this 30% renewables target by the year 2030 are lacking. It is to be expected that, should the country decide to take steps towards boosting its use of green energy to such an extent, more information will soon be shared with the public.