Climate change is a critical issue for the international community to be addressed immediately in unity. In this session, we will present and discuss methodologies to support implementing climate change mitigation plans to achieve “Net Zero (climate neutral society)”, considering unique situations of Asia region and Japan.

Based on the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted in 1992, the Conferences of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP) has been held every year since 1995, with the objective of reducing greenhouse gas emissions effectively in worldwide. Vigorous discussions have been made to realize this goal.

Under these circumstances, at the 21st COP (COP21) held in Paris, France in December 2015, a new international framework was proposed and adopted as “The Paris Agreement” to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from 2020 onwards.

The Paris Agreement requires all participating countries and regions, including developing countries, to set "greenhouse gas reduction and control targets" for 2020 and beyond. It also stipulates to pay efforts to prepare and submit a “long-term low-emission acceleration strategy".

Based on these backgrounds, it is critical to realize “Net Zero (climate neutral society)”. Even though some progresses can be seen, different challenges and constraints each countries have make it difficult to achieve this goal. In addition, in order to achieve “Net Zero”, it is necessary that plans to be reviewed and implemented with the careful examinations of the feasibility and difficulty to achieve “Net Zero”, such as the serious impact that climate change mitigation plans might give on the sustainability of human society and ecosystems.

In this session, we will present and discuss methodologies to support implementing climate change mitigation plans to achieve “Net Zero (climate neutral society)”, considering unique situations of Asia region and Japan.