Japan's announcement that it would not participate in a second commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol
caused quite a stir. As I have
shown in a paper on Japan's proposed emissions reductions, it simply cannot hit the aggressive targets that were proposed by a former government during a moment of populist over exuberance.
Any commitment by Japan to a Kyoto 2 would be substantively meaningless, even if politically popular among some well-meaning but deeply misguided activists. Japan should be applauded for its refusal to go along with a charade. Of course, in the climate debate nothing is ever so simple.
