Bioethanol from rice straw and husks and used construction materials, such as waste wood and wood chips, at a cost of 100 yen per liter?
At present, such fuel costs more like 2000 yen, making it yet another pipe dream.
Hisane Masaki is a Tokyo-based journalist, commentator and scholar on international politics and economy. He frequently writes for Asia Times:
The rising oil price is one of the biggest potential threats to the Japanese economy. The country imports almost all of its oil - 4.2 million barrels a day last year - with nearly 90% coming from the Middle East. Domestic gasoline prices soared to their highest-ever levels last week, reaching an average of 154.9 yen, according to the Oil Information Center, after global crude oil prices hit a record US$99.29 a barrel last month.
The New National Energy Strategy, which was compiled last year by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), set a goal of reducing the nation's reliance on oil for transport to 80% from the current 100% by 2030.
More about Japan's efforts to introduce tax breaks for biofuels at Asia Times: Japan steps up its biofuel drive
Blogs I Like
- Ad B: Japan Navigator
- Adventures of a (Swedish) Salariman in Tokyo
- Amy: Blue Lotus
- Boing Boing: Wonderful Things
- Brendan: UNU OurWorld 2.0
- Hiroko & Rick: Itadakimasu
- Jared B: Tokyo Green Space
- Joan: Popcorn Homestead
- Jon: Toshogu or As I See Japan... From L.A.
- Justin B: The Rational Pessimist (Climate & Risk)
- Kat: Food Adventures in Japan
- Ken: KenElwood in semi-rural Japan
- Mari: Watashi to Tokyo
- MTC: Shisaku
- Otakimura: In The Pines
- P: Pacific Islander
- Peko Peko: Kyoto Foodie
- Richard H: Spike Japan
- Risa & Kirk: Savory Japan
- Robert: Pure Land Mountain
- Shizuoka Gourmet
- Ten Thousand Things
- Tom: Kitchen Garden in Japan
Links I Like
- News: About Sweden in English
- News: BBC
- News: Der Spiegel (Germany) in English
- News: Deutche Welle
- News: FT Asia (UK, EU)
- News: Kyoto Journal (Japan)
- News: NHK World Society & Others (Japan)
- News: People's Daily (China)
- News: Telegraph (UK)
- News: The Local (Sweden)
- News: Yomiuri Online (Japan)
- News: Yonhap (Korea)
- NGOs/News: Organic Consumers Association (US)
- NGOs: Amnesty
- NGOs: Consumers Union (US) Food
- NGOs: Consumers Union of Japan
- NGOs: Greenpeace
- NGOs: Greenz.jp
- NGOs: Japan for Sustainability
- NGOs: Japan Organic Agriculture Association
- NGOs: Japan Vegetarian Society
- Shops: Alishan Organic Center
- Shops: Eco to Waza (GreenJapan)
- Shops: Warabe Mura
- Stuff: Japan Probe
- Treehugger
4 comments:
The story that they pedal about it helping reduce CO2 is silly as well with all the shipping involved and if forests are cut to grow the feed stocks it is even worse.
A better approach would be to look toward shifting toward a sustainable economy that (over a long period obviously) uses less and less fuel of all kinds.
But as long as corporation run things it won't happen.
The government should give individuals tax breaks for buying bicycles instead... (You can quote me on that proposal!)
Good one Martin. I like it.
Also, I don't know how the electricity rates here work, just how much we pay each month, but perhaps a graduated billing scale so the more you use the more you pay per kilowatt. (or the more you cut back the more you save per kilowatt). They do that with water rates in Hawaii.
Panda, that sounds like an excellent incentive to reduce consumption. How about a logarithmic scale... In other words, not very much more expensive at first increase, but later will change by an additive constant. The rich will pay more, in other words.
Post a Comment