Four Years Remaining: 168,000 demand more commitment against climate crisis in Japan

[Because of the rise in COVID-19 cases and the declaration of an emergency state, some areas are not calling for participants for the march. Please refer to the local social network accounts for the latest updates on their statuses.]

An Emergency Climate March will take place nationwide tomorrow, April 22, including Tokyo, Kyoto, Hokkaido, Iwate and Fukuoka. Participating organizations include Fridays For Future Japan, Protect Our Winters Japan, Climate Action Network Japan, 350.org Japan and Kiko Network.

The march will also be a call for more responsibility towards the NDCs. Nationally determined contributions, or NDCs, are targets of Greenhouse Gas emissions the nations in the world aim to reduce. It also represents the commitment of the country to tackle climate change. Last year, the Japanese government announced a target of 26%, an underwhelming number compared to, for example, England’s 57% target.

The Japanese government will soon revise the country’s 2030 NDC target within the next few months. Unfortunately, without more commitment to aim for a higher target, Japan will continue to remain the problem in the world’s greenhouse gas emissions and thus global warming.

The march also coincides with a special day. April 22 is Earth Day, probably the most important day reminding us of the biggest crisis that will haunt generations to come: the climate crisis. Ecosystems are getting disrupted from the sea to the snow mountains, and we are continuing to borrow time from future generations.

The theme for this year’s march is “Four Years Remaining.” It refers to a point at the year 2025, when at which if the world does not start committing more to reduce their emissions, it will become require a reduction rate at which is impossible for the world to achieve.

An online petition was also conducted online, gathering more than 168,157 signatures. They were compiled and submitted to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Cabinet Office. The signatures show the strength of support for the people’s demand for more greenhouse gas emission reduction, more transparency in climate policies, and increased use of renewable energies. (You can find the content of the petition in Japanese here.)

 

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Marches and standing demonstrations will be conducted throughout Japan. You can refer to their schedule here to see where, when and how you can join in the local climate march too.