Toward a zero-carbon society through the 'decarbonization domino' of local initiatives

Under the Paris Agreement, the international community has affirmed the need to take the leap in transitioning to a decarbonised society by the second half of this century. For governments to accomplish these ambitious commitments, it is absolutely vital for measures to be taken at different levels, such as in provinces, cities and districts. Bridging this gap, however, requires local governments to integrate multiple sectors and collaborate with a diverse set of stakeholders, all while factoring regional features into the equation to drive the entire process forward in a streamlined way, from planning to implementing measures.

In Japan, the national and local governments are working hand-in-hand to make the concept of a zero-carbon society reality. Their goal is to create leading decarbonized regions in Japan and to fan out effective initiatives to other regions in succession through a domino effect. Japan will also partner with the United States and like-minded countries to extend this decarbonization domino effect to Asia and other regions utilising the city-to-city collaboration framework, paving the way to realising the creation of zero-carbon cities around the world.