Renewable energy is at a turning point. Mitsubishi Corporation, which had planned to build an offshore wind power plant, withdrew due to unprofitability. In Hokkaido, a “No More Mega Solar” movement is emerging in various regions, including a recommendation to halt construction of a mega solar power plant near the Kushiro Wetlands.
Mega solar power plants originally emerged as an environmentally friendly form of renewable energy and gained widespread support, but their current large-scale expansion and proliferation have led to an unsightly situation in which they are actually contributing to environmental destruction.
Why is renewable energy necessary? One reason is said to be to reduce CO2 emissions as a measure to combat global warming. This means moving away from fossil fuels, which emit large amounts of CO2, a greenhouse gas. Another reason is to ensure Japan has its own energy sources.
In an article in the Sankei Shimbun’s August 21 edition, “Seiron,” environmental science professor emeritus Tadashi Watanabe pointed out that the effect of reducing CO2 emissions in Japan is essentially zero. Even if Japan’s energy consumption were to drop to zero, the projected temperature rise of 0.4 degrees 40 years from now would only be reduced to 0.395 degrees.
This raises questions about whether CO2 reduction and global warming countermeasures are truly linked, and whether there is any point in curbing anthropogenic CO2 emissions in particular.
Despite the rapid expansion of renewable energy and electric vehicles over the past few decades, CO2 concentrations have continued to rise. This shows that the movements of the Earth, including CO2, are beyond human comprehension and cannot be controlled.
Disasters are becoming more severe in Japan. While we tend to attribute this to global warming, in reality, the impact of aging social infrastructure is greater. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be far more effective and humane to redirect the budget for CO2 reduction to upgrading social infrastructure?
Considering this, it seems that nuclear power is currently the most effective energy source for Japan.
(Kei Kitajima)

※Translating Japanese articles into English with AI