No.154 Opinion Exchange Meeting with the National and Local Three Organizations

On November 15, the second opinion exchange meeting was held in the Ministry of the Environment's conference room as a forum for discussions between the national and local governments regarding regional decarbonization.

From the Ministry of the Environment, Minister Keiichiro Asao, Vice Minister Hiroshi Nakada, Vice Minister Fumiaki Kobayashi, and Parliamentary Secretary Kiyoshi Igarashi, along with staff related to regional decarbonization, were present.

From the local side, Nagasaki Koutarou, the Governor of Yamanashi Prefecture and Vice Chairman of the National Governors' Association's Decarbonization and Global Warming Countermeasures Headquarters, and Suzuki Shigeo, the Mayor of Kuzumaki Town in Iwate Prefecture and Vice Chairman of the National Association of Towns and Villages, attended.

I was also scheduled to attend, but since it coincided with the schedule of the Tamagawa Sanitation Association's Regular Session, I will be participating online only.

On the day, after receiving greetings from the Minister, Vice Minister, and Parliamentary Secretary, Mr. Omori, the Regional Decarbonization Promotion Commissioner, provided an overview of the future direction compiled by the "Study Group on the Future of Regional Decarbonization Policy," and each of the three local organizations was asked to speak.

I serve as the Chairperson of the Special Committee on Environmental Measures of the National Mayors' Association, and from that position, I made comments on the following five points.

1. Realizing Decarbonization in the Household Sector
   The national "Global Warming Countermeasures Plan" has set reduction targets for each sector by the fiscal year 2030 compared to the fiscal year 2013. The targets are 38% for the industrial sector, 51% for the business and other sectors, 35% for the transportation sector, and 47% for the energy conversion sector, with efforts being made in each sector by companies and other initiatives.
   On the other hand, the household sector accounts for 66%, but it is not clear who will achieve this and how. In such cases, local issues tend to be shifted to the nearby City Hall, but municipalities do not have sufficient financial resources or authority.
   Therefore, we requested the national government to clarify the responsible entities and methods, as well as to enhance the financial resources so that each city can expand its unique subsidy projects aimed at decarbonization for citizens.
2. Expansion of Solar Power Generation Grid Connection
   When installing solar panels, there can be a long wait from the application for connection for selling electricity until they can be operational, which can result in wasted power generation during that time, so I requested a reduction in the waiting period.
3. Support for Small Local Governments
   Efforts for decarbonization are creating disparities between regions. It was argued that, due to the lack of human and financial resources in small municipalities, it is important for relevant entities such as prefectures and regional financial institutions to collaborate and complement each other.
4. Support for Small and Medium Enterprises
   Similar to point 3, it was argued that small and medium-sized enterprises find it difficult to resolve issues on their own, and therefore, prefectures should demonstrate a proactive stance in providing support.
5. Horizontal deployment of leading examples related to regional decarbonization and funding measures
   The Ministry of the Environment aims to designate at least 100 decarbonization leading regions by 2030 and to disseminate their best practices, but it is not easy to spread some of these pioneering examples to local governments across the country.
   It was requested that efforts be made to select menus tailored to the characteristics of each region, develop feasible standard packages, and provide technical and financial support for their implementation.

Measures against global warming have been positioned as an urgent and critical issue, but it is still difficult to say that they have permeated throughout the entire nation.

While the top runner approach to technological development is important, I believe it is especially crucial to raise awareness among individuals and to enhance the efforts of local governments across the country, regardless of their size, in order to advance the household sector.

We will continue to engage in discussions with the national government, prefectures, and municipalities, and strive to advance decarbonization.