Japan is ready to give technical and financial support to help developing nations cut their greenhouse gas emissions in a move that could help it revise up its recently announced emissions cut target by 2020, the environment minister said on Wednesday.
Governments worldwide are currently in talks to agree a new U.N. climate treaty to replace the Kyoto Protocol. One issue they are looking at is whether and how to enhance market mechanisms under Kyoto to enable rich countries to help others reduce emissions and in exchange receive emissions offsets.
Japan, the world's fifth-biggest greenhouse gas emitter, has been under pressure from developing nations to go for deep greenhouse gas reductions by 2020 to show leadership in talks for a climate deal due to be agreed in Copenhagen in December.
When Prime Minister Taro Aso unveiled Japan's 2020 target of cutting emissions 15 percent below 2005 levels on June 10, he said it would be achieved solely through domestic efforts to save energy and use renewable energy sources. He added that methods such as funding emission cuts abroad would be considered for additional cuts as the U.N. talks progressed.
Minister of the Environment Tetsuo Saito said on Wednesday he expected any additional cut to the 2020 target of 15 percent below 2005 levels would be larger than corresponding additional cuts under the Kyoto pact.
Under the 2008-2012 Kyoto Protocol, Japan committed itself to cut emissions by 6 percent below 1990 levels. Of that, it is allowed to exclude a 5.4 percent cut from domestic industry and household efforts and count partly on Tokyo's buying of emissions offsets from abroad.
"I expect to see further additions to this level as we take into account current international discourses over technical and financial assistance to developing countries," Saito said, referring to the waiver allowed under the Kyoto pact.

Source:Reuters