The Japan Climate Initiative (JCI) held the “Japan Climate Action Summit 2021: JCAS” online on 13th October 2021. About 2,000 participants from all sectors: including corporations, local governments, universities, and religious organizations, participated in JCAS 2021.

Kenji Ogawa, Senior Director of Climate Change and Energy Division, Bureau of Environment, Tokyo Metropolitan Government and Mr. Hirohumi Yano, Director of “DO YOU KYOTO?” Project Promotion, Global Environment Policy Office, Environment Policy Bureau, Kyoto City Government, took the stage for the panel discussion “Climate Change Action Frontline 2021”. In session 1: “Race To Zero”, Mr. Ogawa spoke about the basic concept of Tokyo’s initiative towards the 2030 carbon half and efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions in construction.

In session 3, “Multi-Sector aiming for change”, Mr. Yano presented the lasted initiatives for the transformation of lifestyles, business, energy, and mobility, as set forth in newly formulated plan to achieve Zero Emission by 2050, including the launch of the “Kyoto Decarbonized Lifestyle Promotion Team” and the agreement of renewable energy partnership with Aizu・Wakamatsu City in Fukushima prefecture.

JCAS 2021 was an opportunity for Japanese companies, local governments, and other non-government actors participating in the Race To Zero to share their efforts and experiences, and to build momentum for efforts by non-governmental actors to limit the temperature increase to 1.5℃, ahead of the UNFCCC-COP26 which to be held in Glasgow, UK in November 2021.

Archived videos and speaker’s presentation notes are available on the JCI official website.