Japanese greenhouse gas emissions reach record level

Bloomberg News, Reuters
Published: November 12, 2008

TOKYO: Japanese greenhouse gas emissions rose 2.3 percent to hit a record high in the year that ended in March, hurt by the extended shutdown of some nuclear power plants, while emissions from manufacturers continued to rise, government data released Wednesday showed.
Emissions of heat-trapping gases including carbon dioxide rose to 1.371 billion tons from 1.34 billion tons a year earlier, according to data compiled by the Environment Ministry. That is an increase of 8.7 percent since 1990.
The continued closure of Tokyo Electric Power's Kashiwazaki-Kariwa nuclear power plant, which was damaged by an earthquake July 16 last year, has thwarted the country's efforts to increase carbon-free power generation. Japan is under pressure to achieve its emission-reduction target under the Kyoto Protocol for emissions reduction.
Japan, which has the world's second-biggest economy behind the United States, has pledged to cut emissions of gases blamed for global warming by 6 percent from the 1990 level. The reduction must be made in the five years that started in April this year.
Output of carbon dioxide increased 2.6 percent to 1.305 billion tons in the year that ended in March, or 14.1 percent since 1990, according to the report from the ministry. Methane emissions fell 1.6 percent to 23.1 million tons.

The Japanese nuclear plant utilization rate dropped to 60.7 percent of capacity in the year that ended March from 69.9 percent a year earlier, the Federation of Electric Power Companies of Japan said.
Tokyo Electric's nuclear plant operating rates fell to 44.9 percent of capacity from 74.2 percent.Storage off Australian coast
Australia passed legislation Tuesday that would establish new licenses to allow companies to inject and store greenhouse gases in waters off the Australian coast, Bloomberg News reported from Sydney.
The law facilitates the storage of greenhouse gases while providing oil and natural gas exploration and production license holders a "high level of protection" for their existing property rights, Belinda Robinson, chief executive of the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, said in an e-mailed statement.
Australia, which is seeking to develop carbon capture and storage, or CCS, technologies and regulations to help tackle global warming, started its first demonstration project in April for the underground disposal of carbon dioxide. The move was part of a strategy to prolong the use of coal as a fuel source while reducing emissions.
"The passing of this bill creates an environment in which industry can invest in CCS with confidence, and will encourage the commercialization of technologies capable of reducing future global greenhouse gas emissions," Resources Minister Martin Ferguson said Monday in a statement before the bill had been passed. Chevron, the U.S. oil company, plans to use underground disposal for carbon waste from its proposed Gorgon liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia.