Smart Energy Week / Climate change causes early cherry blossom season??

Welcome! I am Hiroyasu Ichikawa, ichi, and this is issue 94 of the "Japan Climate Curation" newsletter??, which curates Japan-related climate news content every week since spring 2022, with over 2,170 subscribers. You can subscribe by clicking on the Linkedin page or the substack link.

I hope you find the articles below beneficial for reading (or skimming)!

[????????Japan Climate News Headlines]

【1】SMART ENERGY WEEK / DECARBONISATION EXPO / CIRCULAR ECONOMY EXPO will be held 2/28-3/1 at Tokyo Big Sight Japan

As you can see from the promotional video below, 1,600 exhibitors and 70,000 visitors are expected. I had the chance to visit last year and was blown away by the scale and variety of technologies I saw. [Please see last year's report in my previous newsletter ]. I plan to be there for the first two days (2/28 & 2/29), so please let me know if you happen to be around??♂??.

【2】?? How climate change is thwarting travellers' cherry blossom plans [2/24 BBC Travel]

• Global warming causes Japan's cherry blossom season to start 10 days earlier, surprising travelers and tying for the earliest bloom since records began in 1953.
• Experts warn that continued global warming could threaten Japan's distinct four seasons, potentially leading to cherry blossoms in February.
• Travelers are advised to be flexible with their plans, as peak bloom times vary and are increasingly unpredictable due to climate change.

【3】Cherry blossom season likely to arrive early in Japan due to warm weather [2/21 NHK World Japan]

• Warm March weather to bring Japan's cherry blossom season early, with Kanto seeing record Feb temperatures. Blossoms in Tokyo expected as early as March 17??.

【4】Was Toyota’s bet on hybrid cars right all along? - Japanese automaker’s stance on limited appetite for fully electric vehicles is being reassessed [2/26 Financial Times]

• Toyota's hybrid vehicle strategy, combining batteries with traditional engines, is seeing vindication amid cooling enthusiasm for fully electric vehicles (BEVs) due to high prices and charging infrastructure concerns.
• Hybrids, including plug-in and full hybrids, are gaining market share and contributing to Toyota's record operating profit, challenging the once-dominant narrative that BEVs are the future of automotive technology.
• Despite the resurgence of hybrids, the industry still views BEVs as the ultimate goal, but hybrids are recognized as an important transitional technology, with companies like Ford and General Motors revising their strategies to include more hybrid models.

【5】Hybrids lead EVs in sales growth as drivers seek convenience [2/20 Nikkei Asia]

• Hybrids saw a 30% sales increase in 2023 across 14 countries, outpacing electric vehicles (EVs) which grew by 28% to 11.96 million units.
• Drivers' concerns over EV reliability and charging convenience have led to a preference for hybrids, with hybrids now making up 7% of total sales, a 2% increase from 2021.
• Japanese automakers are leading the hybrid market, with Toyota's hybrid sales growing 32% to a record 3.44 million units, indicating a strong future for hybrids alongside gradual EV adoption.

【6】Japan gears up for floating wind turbine tests [2/21 NHK World Japan]

• Japan is accelerating offshore wind power efforts, focusing on floating turbines due to the country's limited shallow sea areas. Four candidate areas for tests have been identified, with possibly two being selected, spanning from Hokkaido to Aichi prefecture. The government will support operating costs until 2030, with tests to begin after environmental and local industry consultations.

【7】Japan firm to turn construction waste into green jet fuel material [2/19 Nikkei Asia]

• Rengo, a Japanese cardboard maker, will start turning construction waste into raw material for sustainable aviation fuels (SAF) by 2027 with a 20 billion yen($133m) investment.
• This initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions by 70-90% compared to standard jet fuel, contributing to Japan's goal of using SAF for 10% of domestic aviation fuel by 2030.
• The move seeks to diversify and stabilize SAF feedstock sources, addressing challenges in supply chain development and resource utilization compared to current methods like corn ethanol and waste cooking oil.

【8】Japanese Government Unveils Liquefied CO2 Transportation Ship ‘Excool’ [2/17 The Japan News (Yomiuri Shimbun)]

• The Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry unveiled "Excool," a ship for transporting liquefied carbon dioxide (CO2), aimed at aiding carbon capture and storage (CCS) efforts.
• Excool features two tanks with a total capacity of 1,450 cubic meters, set to begin trials in October transporting CO2 from Kansai Electric Power’s Maizuru Power Station to Tomakomai for CCS testing.
• This marks the world’s first attempt at transporting liquefied CO2 at about minus 50 C, aiming to establish a stable, cost-effective transportation method by 2030.

【9】More whales getting stranded in western Japan bay amid global warming [2/21 Kyodo News]

• Increasing whale strandings in Osaka Bay, Japan, tied to global warming and bay's maze-like structure, call for urgent ecological solutions.

【10】The elite tree revolution: Japan's new forestry frontier Combating climate change and pollen allergies with fast-growing trees [2/23 J-Stories]

• Elite trees, selected by Japan's MAFF, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries, from the best cedar, cypress, and larch, absorb 1.5 times more CO2, aiding forest carbon sink measures.
• These trees, boasting high rigidity and low pollen production, aim to reduce forestry costs and combat hay fever, with plans to make up 30% of forestry seedlings by 2030 and over 90% by 2050.
• Nippon Paper Industries leads in elite tree seedling production, aiming for 10 million yearly by 2030, and is expanding afforestation efforts internationally. Elite trees in Japan are revolutionizing forestry by enhancing carbon absorption and reducing costs, spearheaded by Nippon Paper Industries' ambitious production goals.

??That's all for this week! Thank you for reading(or skimming) ??. I hope you will have a wonderful week ahead!

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ichi (Hiroyasu Ichikawa)