Decarbonisation and the “Clear and Present Danger”

Since the beginning of this year, the movement toward decarbonisation has become active. In particular, we can say that technological development anticipates a long time of 2050, rather than decarbonisation at this point. It would be beneficial for technological progress. However, if we quote from the 1994 film “Clear and Present Danger”(Starring, Harrison Ford): we could say that it would be “Clear and Present Danger of Decarbonisation”, who will confront them along with what kind of method and technology? Of course, it is essential to discuss the next 30 years, but what the reality will be, how far we can go to decarbonise, and how we can visualise and prove them, perhaps it would be far more critical and challenging than looking at 30 years ahead.

Quantification of CO2 reductions

Given those, as one way to prove in case of proceeding on decarbonisation, it can be mentioned the methodology called the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM), promoted by the Ministry of Economic, Trade and Industry (METI).
  JCM is a system that works with developing countries to reduce Green House Gas (GHG) and shares the results of the reduction between the two countries. To date, Japan government have signed agreements and promoting decarbonisation with countries like Mongolia, Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Kenya, Maldives, Vietnam, Laos, Indonesia, Costa Rica, Palau, Cambodia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, Chile, Myanmar, Thailand and the Philippines.

　We can say that JCM is a methodology that uses a calculation formula to estimate the expected CO2 emissions reduction and try to achieve true decarbonisation by adapting the calculated results to actual measurements. In other words, we can say that it is a methodology of visualisation aimed at decarbonisation. I hope that this methodology will become a universal decarbonisation methodology that includes developing countries and developed countries.