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Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fall 2.5% in FY22/23 to tape low

Japan's greenhouse gas emissions fell 2.5% to a record low in the through March 2023, federal government data showed on Friday, helped by minimized emissions in the industrial and service sectors.

Emissions for the 2022/23 year dropped to the equivalent of 1.135 billion metric lots of co2 from 1.164 billion loads a year previously, information from the environment ministry showed.

The current figure marked the most affordable because information collection started in 1990/91 and followed emissions rose in 2021/22 for the very first time in 8 years.

The commercial sector saw a 5.3% decline while the industrial and services sector experienced a 4.2% drop, though the transport sector saw a 3.9% increase due to increased guest traffic amidst the recovery of socioeconomic activities from the pandemic, the ministry stated.

Japan, the world's fifth-biggest emitter, aims to reduce emissions by 46% from 2013 levels by 2030 If accomplished, 2030. emissions will be 0.76 billion heaps.

The 2022/23 figure represents a reduction of 19.3% from 2013.

The emission continued a constant decrease trend, on track towards a net-zero target in 2050, an official at the ministry said at a press conference.

Meanwhile, the amount of greenhouse gases taken in by forests and other sources in 2022/23 fell 6.4% to 50.2 million tons due to the ageing of planted forests, the ministry stated.

The quantity absorbed by seagrass and seaweed beds, one of the blue carbon communities, concerned 350,000 heaps, the ministry stated, adding it was the very first time the ministry determined the figure and the first attempt of its kind on the planet.

Japan's emissions rose after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear catastrophe resulted in reactor shutdowns and heightened dependence on fossil fuels. Emissions peaked at 1.4 billion heaps in 2013/14 however have given that decreased, helped by greater usage of eco-friendly energy and the progressive resumption of reactors.

Renewable resource represented 21.7% of the 1.01 trillion kilowatt-hours of electricity created in 2022/23, up 1.4 percentage point on the previous year.

Atomic energy fell 1.3 percentage indicate 5.5%, while thermal power comprised 72.8%, flat from a year earlier.

(source: Reuters)