Japanese Prime Minister SUGA Yoshihide said on Sunday that his country will lead international efforts to combat climate change, in comments on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

Suga has already said that Japan will aim for net-zero emissions by 2050, making a green society one of his key policy priorities.

“Addressing climate change is not a constraint on economic growth,” said Suga. “We will lead international society in realising a decarbonised world.”

Under international pressure to do more to address global warming, Chinese President Xi Jinping told the G20 that China would implement its own initiatives including achieving carbon neutrality by 2060.

Japanese lawmakers on Thursday declared a climate emergency in a symbolic vote aimed at increasing pressure for action to combat global warming, after Japan last month committed to its firm timetable for net-zero emissions.

With the vote, Japan – the world’s fifth-biggest carbon emitter – joins Britain, Canada and France in similar resolutions, as well as the European Union as a bloc and nearly 2,000 regional and city authorities around the world. 

Reuters