From the Stern Report to the Paris Agreement: Weaving the Future to the Climate Change Challenge: Trajectories from 2007 to the 2020s

From the Stern Report to the Paris Agreement: Weaving the Future to the Climate Change Challenge: Trajectories from 2007 to the 2020s

In 2007, the Stern Review, a report by British economist Nicholas Stern, sharpened the impact of climate change on the economy. The report warned that early greenhouse gas reductions could cost as little as 1% of GDP, while failure to take action could result in losses of up to 20%. The report recommended the promotion of renewable energy and the development of carbon trading markets, and suggested that international collaboration is key to climate policy.

In the 2010s, the adoption of the Paris Agreement (2015) was a major turning point. The agreement set a goal of limiting global warming to less than 2°C below pre-industrial levels, and even less than 1.5°C. The IPCC's 1.5°C Special Report, released in 2018, called for a 45% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030, with the need to achieve virtually zero emissions by 2050 The report also stated that the country must reduce CO2 emissions by 45% by 2030 and achieve virtually zero by 2050. In Japan, the 2012 feed-in tariff (FIT) accelerated the spread of solar power generation, and the accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2011 triggered a restructuring of energy policy.

In the 2020s, the IPCC Sixth Assessment Report (2021) indicated that a 43% reduction by 2030 is necessary to limit temperature rise to within 1.5°C. In Tokyo, the "Zero Emission Tokyo Strategy" is underway, an offshore wind farm is in operation in Wakkanai, Hokkaido, and in Fukushima Prefecture, the "Fukushima Green High Tech Project" is a key part of reconstruction efforts. In the corporate sector, Toyota Motor Corporation is promoting hydrogen-fueled vehicles using "green hydrogen," and Nippon Steel Corporation is aiming to reduce CO2 emissions through carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in Kashima City.

In this way, international developments from the Stern Review to the Paris Agreement and the 1.5°C Special Report have shaped the history of climate change response and laid the foundation for a sustainable future.

Sources
- Stern Review (2007)
- Paris Agreement (2015)
- IPCC "1.5°C Special Report" (2018)
- Feed-in tariffs (introduced in 2012)
- Energy policy after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident (2011 onwards)
- IPCC 6th Assessment Report (2021)
- Tokyo Metropolitan Government "Zero Emission Tokyo Strategy" (2020)