Japan says innovation key to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050

By Riyaz ul Khaliq

ANKARA (AA) - Calling climate change a global challenge, Japan’s foreign minister on Tuesday said innovation is the key to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Motegi Toshimitsu made the comments during his meeting with John Kerry, US special presidential envoy for Climate, in Tokyo, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Referring to the US-hosted Climate Summit where Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared Japan’s ambitious target for 2030, Motegi said climate change “is a top-priority issue for Japan.”

“In order to achieve the high-level target, innovation is the key and Japan will make the utmost use of its world-leading technologies,” he added.

Describing climate change as “an important global challenge,” he said Japan will lead the efforts of the international community for global de-carbonization, together with the US, looking ahead to the G20, COP26, and beyond.

The statement said the two sides emphasized “the importance of cooperation with developing countries, including major emitters, in their emission reduction efforts, including through the Japan-US Climate Partnership and the Quad (Japan-US-Australia-India).”

Kerry will later fly to Tianjin, China to hold talks with China’s Special Envoy for Climate Change Xie Zhenhua. The two leaders will exchange views on the US-China climate change cooperation.

The 4-day tour comes ahead of COP26, the UN climate change conference, which will be held from Oct. 31 to Nov. 12, in Glasgow, UK.