TOKYO — Japan will pledge to help China, India and five other Asian countries reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, according to a newspaper report published Thursday. The Mainichi Shimbun said Japan's plans to train personnel and do joint research for the CO2 reduction objective are intended for China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam.
The assistance is part of an 18-point contribution program that Japan will advance at the Johannesburg conference. The project is part of a clean development mechanism scheme which would enable Japan to count the CO2 reductions obtained by such aid against its own commitments to own greenhouse-gas emission reduction under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
In a related development, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday said Japan hopes to emphasize that development and environmental protection are compatible at the upcoming summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg. "When thinking about the cost of destroying the environment for development, I think it is wiser to take both (the environment and development) from now," Koizumi said during an interview with South African media at his office.
The assistance is part of an 18-point contribution program that Japan will advance at the Johannesburg conference. The project is part of a clean development mechanism scheme which would enable Japan to count the CO2 reductions obtained by such aid against its own commitments to own greenhouse-gas emission reduction under the 1997 Kyoto Protocol.
In a related development, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi on Wednesday said Japan hopes to emphasize that development and environmental protection are compatible at the upcoming summit on sustainable development in Johannesburg. "When thinking about the cost of destroying the environment for development, I think it is wiser to take both (the environment and development) from now," Koizumi said during an interview with South African media at his office.