Plantiffs first preparatory document for the tiral on Oct. 24 (in Japanese)

16 young people from Japan nationwide, from Hokkaido to Kyushu, claimed joint tort against 10 major thermal power companies in the electric power sector. The plaintiffs seek an injunction, requiring the companies to reduce their CO2 emission by 48% by 2030 and 65% by 2035 (compared to 2019). Those percentages were chosen as they align with the reductions the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) says are necessary to limit the global temperature increase to 1.5°C in line with the Paris Agreement within the carbon budget. The plaintiffs allege that limit constitutes international public order, that needed to be dully interpreted as a legal obligation to respect, through domestic tort regulation in Article 709 of the Civil Code.The defendant seeks dismissal, arguing that the plaintiffs' future damages remain undetermined and that the suit constitutes an unlawful claim for future damages.

On July 25, UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that temperature will continue to rise. He also noted that extreme heat is the new normal, which is increasingly straining economies, increasing inequality, and costing people their lives. He pointed out the anthropogenic climate change caused by the use of fossil fuels as the cause, to call for accelerated emission reductions. The situation requires immediate and decisive action. The CO2 emissions of Japan's power generation sector (390 million tons), including the defendants, equates to 16th place in the global ranking of emissions by country. It is also Japan’s largest emitting sector, accounting for about 40% of Japan's energy-derived CO2 emissions. The International Energy Agency (IEA) and the G7 agreement also demand carbon neutrality of the power sector by 2035. The defendants of 10 companies, Japan's largest thermal power producers including JERA, are responsible for 333 million tons of CO2 emissions (in 2019), equivalent to 33% of Japan's energy-derived CO2 emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) calls for a 48% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2030 and a 65% reduction by 2035 compared to 2019 levels to achieve the 1.5°C target (50% confidence). Avoiding dangerous climate change is the world's greatest common concern, to reduce emission reductions to the levels required by the IPCC. 

Large emitting companies in Japan, which is a developed country, are also obligated to reduce their emissions to this level. The same should be applied to the defendants, the power generators, as a minimum obligation. However, the 2030 reduction targets proposed by the defendants are not only below the requisite level but are also extremely inadequate in that they continue to use coal-fired power generation and rely on technically unproven technologies such as hydrogen, ammonia co-firing, and CCS, all of which have little effect on emission reduction. Moreover, the defendants have not even set the 2035 target at all except JERA, which has set only a 40% reduction target from 2019 levels. In light of these circumstances, it is nearly impossible to assert that they are developing a plan that aligns with the 1.5°C objective. The plaintiffs filed this case in order to be protected from the even more severe impact of climate change, claiming the court’s order for the defendants to fulfil their legal obligation to reduce their emissions The plaintiffs also expect the defendants to shift to a renewable energy company.

The First hearing was held on October 24, 2024, where the ten defendant companies made it clear that they would fight. The next hearing date is set for February 18, 2025.

Youth Climate Case Japan for Tomorrow

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Youth Climate Case Japan for Tomorrow - Other

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An aim to achieve a quantifiable outcome within a given time-frame, set by an institution such as a national government.

Policy instruments are techniques or tools used by governing authorities to promote certain policies in order to achieve predetermined goals. Put simply, instruments are how a government tries to achieve its goals, with this taxonomy being focused on national policy instruments.

Risk is the potential for adverse consequences resulting from the dynamic interplay between (climate-related) hazards, exposure, and vulnerability of affected human or ecological systems.

Groups  of people who are adversely affected by climate change or the response to it

A set of principles, processes, and practices that build economic and political power to shift from an extractive economy to a regenerative economy.

Justice is the ethical and political framework that addresses fairness, including issues of responsibility, rights, and structural inequity.

Renewable energy means all forms of energy produced from renewable sources in a sustainable manner.

Fossil fuel is a generic term for non-renewable energy sources such as coal, fossil gas, and oil (including crude oil, and petroleum products), that can be used for electricity and heat generation. Fossil fuels are hydrocarbons formed from pressurised and heated organic material buried over millions of years.

Molecules in the atmosphere that play a key role in the greenhouse effect by trapping heat radiating from Earth’s surface.

Area of the economy in which actors engage in identical or related activities.

In human systems, the process of adjustment to actual or expected climate change and its effects, in order to moderate harm, increase resilience or exploit beneficial opportunities. In natural systems, the process of adjustment to actual climate change and its effects; human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate change and its effects.

The management and allocation of funds, assets and investments to meet various objectives

Codes and standards are regulatory instruments that specify minimum standards to protect health and safety. This ranges from performance standards, which prescribe outcomes while allowing flexibility to achieve compliance, to the more prescriptive approach of technology-specific standards.

A ban is a legal action that prevents the sale or supply of a product or service, or that recalls a product from the market. Examples are bans on SF6, greenwashing, fossil fuel advertisement or single-use plastics.

A target to reduce the prevalence of a greenhouse gas over a specific time frame

Hot temperature extremes are daily maximum temperatures  that were exceeded on average once in a decade or once in 50 years, and includes heatwaves.

The release of heat-trapping gases, primarily from human activities such as burning fossil fuels, agriculture and industry.

A long-lived, colourless gas, chiefly emitted from fossil fuel combustion, deforestation and cement production.

Actions to reduce emissions in energy generation and supply.

Extreme weather refers to events where a weather variable exceeds (or falls below) a threshold. Meaning it is significantly different from the average or usual weather pattern.

Coal is a combustible sedimentary rock formed from carbonised plant matter, rich in carbon and hydrocarbons, and occurring in several main types including hard coal and brown coal.

The activities of industries involved in the production, distribution, and sale of energy, including electricity, gas, and renewables.

This sector involves activities to move goods and people, alongside the storage of products.

Climate change impacts our society by disrupting the natural, economic and social systems we depend on. Physical hazards and underlying vulnerabilities can lead to increased resource competition for food and water, which can heighten the risk of conflict.

Slow onset events evolve gradually from incremental changes over many years or from increased frequency or intensity of recurring events. As defined in the Cancun Adaptation Framework (2010), slow onset events include risks and impacts from rising temperatures, desertification, biodiversity loss, land and forest degradation, glacial retreat, ocean acidification, sea level rise, and salinization.

Youth Climate Case Japan for Tomorrow - Other

Target

Policy instrument

Risk

Impacted group

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel

Greenhouse gas

Economic sector