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A Cheat Sheet for Canceling Coal | Kimiko Hirata | TED
A Cheat Sheet for Canceling Coal | Kimiko Hirata | TED
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Phụ đề (162)
0:08
I've been working on the climate issue for almost 30 years.
0:14
For most of that time,
0:16
I worked with the Japanese climate organization called Kiko Network.
0:21
Of course, it's been filled with ups and downs,
0:24
but today I would like to share some of the moments when we succeeded.
0:30
One turning point came after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
0:35
All of Japan's nuclear reactors shut down all of a sudden,
0:40
and the country's energy system stood at a critical crossroads.
0:45
While people were waking to nuclear risks,
0:47
attention to climate change faded in return.
0:51
Then, soon after,
0:52
new plans to develop coal-fired power plants began to surge.
0:57
The number went up to 10,
0:59
20 and 50.
1:01
That was a really scary trend
1:03
considering the long-term CO2 emissions' impact.
1:07
At that time,
1:08
I'd been focusing on the UN climate negotiations
1:11
and national climate policy.
1:14
But I turned my focus to work on coal.
1:19
Why coal?
1:20
Even people close to me ask this question.
1:24
Despite the fact that more than 150 units of coal-fired power plants
1:29
are in operation in Japan,
1:31
that fact was just unknown and invisible to people.
1:36
Kind of like CO2.
1:38
So we started to create a nationwide map
1:41
to track every coal project and made it public.
1:46
Also, we visited communities where projects are located
1:51
and spoke with people.
1:53
But on many occasions,
1:54
people didn't care much about the climate
1:56
and new coal projects.
1:58
People cared more about their daily issues
2:01
such as jobs,
2:03
income or child care.
2:07
So we talked not only about climate change,
2:09
but also about economic and financial risks
2:13
and health impacts from air pollution.
2:17
Everything I tried was new to me.
2:20
So I reached out to experts, lawyers, professors and NGOs,
2:25
both in Japan and abroad.
2:28
I didn't hesitate to ask for help.
2:31
And eventually, we developed networks.
2:35
With a combination of citizens’ engagement,
2:39
data tracking and strategic communication,
2:42
gradually people started to act.
2:46
In 2020, I took another action.
2:50
We submitted a shareholder proposal to Mizuho,
2:53
one of Japan's largest banks
2:55
and the biggest coal financier globally at that time.
3:00
We asked the company to disclose its business plan,
3:03
aligned with the Paris Agreement.
3:06
That means there is no room to finance new coal.
3:11
In Western countries,
3:12
shareholder activism on climate had already gained momentum,
3:17
but in Japan it was the very first of its kind.
3:21
I spent months studying best practices overseas.
3:26
I still remember the conversation I had with my friend in Australia
3:30
on the day before the shareholder meeting.
3:33
He said,
3:35
"You will probably get 17 percent support, so I'm betting."
3:39
And I said, "Oh no,
3:41
if we get 10 percent, that will already be a miracle."
3:46
To my surprise,
3:48
the proposal received 34 percent support from shareholders.
3:52
(Cheers and applause)
3:54
Including large institutional investors.
3:57
That became quite big news across the country.
4:02
As a result of those multiple works,
4:05
out of 50 proposed coal projects,
4:08
17, totaling nine gigawatts, were cancelled.
4:12
(Cheers and applause)
4:15
This cancellation prevented 50 million tons of CO2 per year
4:20
and 1.7 billion tons over their lifetimes.
4:24
That's equivalent to taking more than eight million cars off the road
4:28
every year for 40 years.
4:30
(Cheers and applause)
4:35
Of course, the success wasn't ours alone.
4:38
Many people took action, too.
4:40
But many cancelled projects
4:43
overlapped with regions where we worked intensively.
4:47
I can tell that our collaborative efforts worked.
4:52
Civil society in Japan is often considered small and powerless.
4:57
But even as a small group,
4:59
what seems impossible is not necessarily impossible.
5:04
That's what I learned.
5:07
But this is not the end of my journey.
5:09
Stopping one third of new coal projects is just one step.
5:14
We still heavily depend on fossil fuels in Japan.
5:18
The real challenge for us now
5:20
is to transform our entire economy away from fossil fuels.
5:26
That means saying no isn't enough.
5:29
We need to build a positive, strong yes for systemic change.
5:35
But we still face various arguments such as: renewable energy is expensive,
5:41
it's not reliable.
5:42
Those are very live discussions still in Japan.
5:45
And some people in Japan oppose renewable energy
5:49
because of concerns about local environmental damage.
5:52
In addition, many people prioritize other issues than climate,
5:58
and people are busy too.
6:00
We need to remove all of these barriers.
6:04
So I took another step.
6:06
I founded an independent think tank, Climate Integrate,
6:11
to provide fact-based information that can accelerate energy transition.
6:17
Moving beyond just saying no,
6:20
I sit down and talk with people with different views --
6:24
in government and in companies --
6:26
and then try to build conviction in people to say yes
6:30
for renewable energy.
6:32
We started by conducting a comprehensive analysis,
6:37
uniquely applied to the Japanese context.
6:40
And with that,
6:42
we are more confident that it is definitely possible
6:45
to shift our energy system to renewables
6:48
with abundant potential of solar and wind.
6:53
Having that clear vision,
6:55
we show the facts and convey the facts.
6:59
We also started to collaborate with cities starting from three.
7:04
Toyooka city in the western area
7:07
is known for its onsen hot springs and ski resort.
7:11
It is already experiencing climate change,
7:14
such as reduced snowfall or extreme heat.
7:18
The city has now challenged itself
7:21
to become a model of sustainable tourism
7:24
by incorporating a nature-positive approach and decarbonization.
7:29
Ichikawa city, near Tokyo,
7:32
is an area of high population density with a lot of residential buildings.
7:37
The city now promotes installing rooftop solar
7:41
and improving energy efficiency for its housing,
7:45
particularly targeting young families.
7:49
Sakata city, located in the north,
7:51
is an area that has old coal-fired power plants,
7:55
but it is also a very good location for offshore wind.
7:59
This city aims to revitalize its economy through offshore-related business
8:04
and achieve a just transition away from fossil fuels and coal power.
8:11
I don't yet know if these efforts will get us to our vision,
8:16
but even though I changed my approach from no to yes,
8:20
what I do for renewable energy
8:22
is actually very similar to what I did for my coal work.
8:27
I meet people, enhance dialogue and develop networks.
8:33
From my experiences,
8:35
I can tell that change happens
8:37
when people are engaged with facts and stories.
8:41
Now, my vision is to help Japan ...
8:44
promote renewable energy up to 90 percent or more, ...
8:48
achieve full decarbonization
8:51
and extend that impact across Asia.
8:56
I know it is very challenging, but I also know that I'm not alone.
9:01
I have an incredible team and network of experts,
9:05
advocates and believers.
9:07
We are all united by a shared conviction
9:10
that this work must be done.
9:13
So I am always hopeful.
9:15
Even living in a country where change seems difficult.
9:20
So my journey continues.
9:22
I continue seeking my own ways.
9:25
Likewise, you can also find your own way.
9:30
And I truly believe that together, we can change the world from no to yes.
9:36
So I hope you will join me on this journey forward.
9:40
Thank you.
9:41
(Cheers and applause)
