Data: IEA; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
Japan's newly elected Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga is slated to announce a target next week of making the nation carbon-neutral by 2050, per reports in Nikkei, Reuters and elsewhere.
Why it matters: Japan is one of the world's largest carbon emitters, per International Energy Agency data, though far smaller than China, the U.S. and India.
The big picture: Japan's reported pledge comes a month after China vowed to be carbon neutral by 2060, and EU officials are working to put meat on the bones of their promise to achieve the same thing by 2050.
The intrigue: It will also require some huge changes over time to a Japanese energy mix heavily reliant on oil, gas and coal.
- Bloomberg, citing a government official, reports that the plan will promote tech including offshore wind and batteries.
- "Using ammonia and hydrogen as alternatives to coal and liquefied natural gas will also be a part of the push," they report.
