Japan Climate Initiatives (JCI): Over 100 Japanese firms, local leaders, and private organizations unite against climate change
Although the Paris Agreement of 2015 was made between nations, non-state actors are now playing a major role in implementing climate change measures worldwide. In the United States, when the federal government announced a withdrawal from the Paris Agreement in 2017, more than 2,700 organizations signed the “We Are Still In” initiative. These private companies, local governments, and NGOs all demonstrated that they would still contribute to the goals of the agreement and to the fight against climate change.
On July 6, 100 Japanese firms, local governments and private groups launched a similar initiative: the Japan Climate Initiatives (JCI). This is a network designed to strengthen information dissemination and the exchange of opinions of subnational groups working on climate change countermeasures. Fifteen municipalities including ICLEI members Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Shimokawa Town, the cities of Kawasaki, Kyoto, and Yokohama are part of this initiative.
At a press conference Deputy Mayor Okada, from the City of Kyoto, expressed the city’s determination to work towards achieving a decarbonized society. The declaration follows decades of committed climate work since the signing of the Kyoto Protocol in 1997.
The JCI network, which includes major companies like NTT Docomo Inc. and organizations like WWF Japan, will be sending a delegation of representative members to the Global Climate Action Summit in September and to the Japan Climate Change Action Summit which will be held in October. The group calls for participation from all non-state actors to step up their commitment to climate action.
