TOKYO, April 13 (Xinhua) -- Greenhouse gas emissions in Japan in fiscal 2022 fell to a record low of 1,135 million tons in terms of carbon dioxide, government data showed.
Emissions during the one-year period through March 2023 went down 2.5 percent, or 28.6 million tons, from fiscal 2021, marking the lowest level since comparable data became available in fiscal 1990, the Environment Ministry said Friday.
The decline came after emissions increased in fiscal 2021 for the first time in eight years due to an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, the ministry said.
By sector, emissions from commercial and other business establishments dropped 4.7 percent to 179 million tons, while those from households dipped 1.4 percent to 158 million tons on the back of lower heating demand amid higher temperatures compared with the previous year.
Meanwhile, emissions from the transport sector, including automobiles, went up 3.9 percent to 192 million tons as demand for travel recovered.
By fiscal 2030, the Japanese government aims to cut emissions by 46 percent from the level in fiscal 2013 and achieve net-zero emissions by fiscal 2050.
Fiscal 2022 saw a 22.9 percent drop from fiscal 2013, according to the ministry. ■
