Japan engagement with Sydney APEC meeting may prove short: Prime Minister -on-probation, Shinzo Abe, may announce “aspirational” CO2-cuts, and dash home

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s situation at home was so knife-edged that he could not afford to stay away from Tokyo a day longer than necessary, now that his new cabinet was launched and the Diet, or parliament, was to resume its sittings on September 10. Straight after the July 29 upper house crunch. Abe was sharply told by his party that he was on probation and his first test was to select an acceptable ministry. He put up his choices on Monday and they are now being weighed, reported <i>The Australian</i>, (1/9/2007), p. 23.

<b>Cool Earth 50, Abe’s aspiration:</b> “While he is Sydney, expect to hear much from the Japanese delegation about Cool Earth 50, Abe’s aspiration that the so-called international community should agree to halve greenhouse emissions by 2050. Listen also to whether any of the other leaders ask the impolite question: half of what?;

•  half the emissions from 2012, when the Kyoto Protocol runs out;

•  half the current emissions level; or half of something else?

“That’s what the<i>The Australian</i>, this week asked an official in Japan’s Environment Ministry, because there seemed to be no baseline in any of the PM’s references to Cool Earth 50. “Ah,” Inquirer was told, “that’s the controversial question.” And, well, there’s no fixed answer at the moment”.

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