Here is a link to "give a pep talk to the newspaper! ! The following is from today's article by Nobuhiko Sakai, a professor at the University of Tokyo's Institute of Archives, which appears regularly in the Sankei Shimbun.
It is a must-read not only for the people of Japan but also for people around the world.
Newspapers should tell the truth about the "decarbonization" issue.
I was surprised to see the article, "A Multi-Party Discussion," by Masato Hara, editor of the Asahi Shimbun, in the morning edition of March 3.
The article is contrary to the tone of Asahi, which is always concerned about global warming as an environmental issue.
Mr. Hara refers to the global race to reduce pledges on environmental issues as a "green bubble.
In his policy speech at the opening of the extraordinary Diet session in October last year, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga declared that Japan would have virtually no CO2 emissions by 2050.
Mr. Hara recalled that 12 years ago, then Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged to reduce CO2 emissions by 25% from the 1990 level by 2050 at an environmental summit.
He was a member of the editorial board and revealed a "heated debate" in the editorial board room over the evaluation of the pledge.
In the end, the majority opinion, which differed from his, gave the pledge high marks in the editorial.
Mr. Hara explained numerically that he opposed the plan because the roadmap of the reduction plan was too unrealistic.
Mr. Hara said, "Is global warming a threat to humankind so much that we have to do that?" There is no scientific basis to say so, "says Mr. Taishi Sugiyama of Canon Global Strategy Research Institute." he introduces the opinion of Mr. Sugiyama.
Mr. Sugiyama is an expert who questions the prevailing theories on environmental issues, which are touted as truth.
He has also appeared in the "Sound Argument" column of the Sankei Shimbun, declaring that "the climate crisis is a liberal fake" (February 22).
Then former President Trump was not bullshitting either.
Sugiyama especially emphasizes the danger of this issue working in favor of China (March 12).
In Mr. Hara's response, the following point may be important.
The recent trend toward decarbonization seems to have gone beyond the realm of scientific debate and has turned into a war for economic hegemony. From fossil fuels to renewable energy, from gasoline cars to electric cars. It's a battle of wits to see which country can be the first to respond to this game change.
Mr. Hara also fears that this will be a significant blow to the Japanese economy, especially the auto industry, which is highly competitive with gasoline-powered vehicles.
Isn't it possible that Prime Minister Suga has easily jumped on the global bandwagon and made a wrong political decision that is hugely detrimental to Japan?
What is the truth in the first place?
The media has a responsibility to explain the fundamental issue of energy to its readers clearly.
