On March 2, 2021, Kyoto City joined the Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), becoming Japan’s first member.

The Powering Past Coal Alliance (PPCA), led by the UK and Canadian governments, is a coalition of national and sub-national governments, businesses and organisations working to advance the transition from unabated coal power generation to clean energy. With the 10 new members that joined yesterday, including Kyoto City, PPCA members now include 36 national governments, 26 sub-national governments, and 50 companies and other organizations.

Kyoto City became the first local government in Japan to join the PPCA when the city’s mayor announced its membership on March 2 in a video message during the high-level plenary in the PPCA’s online “Global Summit 2021,” stating that Kyoto City joined “to set the trend of phasing out fossil fuel, including coal, and transitioning to renewable energy.” Participation in the PPCA was also a request from Kyoto’s youth.*

Source : High-level Plenary: Online / Tuesday, 2 March 2021 — 16:00 to 18:00 (GMT)　https://www.poweringpastcoal.org/summit-2021/high-level-plenary

In signing the PPCA Declaration, PPCA members “commit to phasing out existing unabated coal power generation and to a moratorium on any new coal power stations without operational carbon capture and storage, within their jurisdiction.” Although there are no coal-fired power plants in Kyoto City, by becoming a member of the PPCA, Kyoto is the first city in Japan to declare a phase-out policy for coal-fired power plants.

To be consistent with the Paris Agreement, it is essential for Japan to phase out all coal-fired power plants by 2030. Which city or sub-national government in Japan will be the next to join the PPCA? Ask your city’s government about joining the PPCA, and you could be next!

*On May 24, 2019, Fridays for Future Kyoto submitted a letter to the mayor of Kyoto City to request that the city implement concrete actions for a coal phase-out, citing as a key factor the poor reputation of Japan’s climate policy due to Japan’s stance of promoting coal-fired power both at home and abroad.