JAPAN VOWS NET ZERO EMISSIONS BY 2050

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Monday pledged to cut greenhouse gas emissions in Japan to net zero by 2050 in his first policy speech in parliament, Sayo Sasaki reported for Kyodo news. 

In his address at the start of the 41-day extraordinary Diet session through Dec. 5, Suga also called for balancing measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus with the promotion of economic growth, while reiterating his resolve to hold the postponed Tokyo Olympics next summer.

"Response to global warming is no longer a constraint on economic growth," Suga said. "We need to change our mindset that proactively taking measures against global warming will bring about changes to industrial structures, as well as the economy and society, and lead to major growth." 

Suga's new goal on greenhouse gas emissions is a step forward from the government's previous target of reducing emissions by 80 percent by 2050. His pledge came as more countries seek to go carbon-free. China, the world's largest consumer of coal, announced its plan to become carbon-neutral by 2060 at the UN General Assembly last month.