Chapter 1: What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
You're listening to TED Talks Daily, where we bring you new ideas to spark your curiosity every day. I'm your host, Elise Hu. What does it take to turn a quiet, almost invisible problem into a movement that can change a country?
Out of 50 proposed co-projects, 17 totaling 9 gigawatt were canceled. These cancellations prevented 50 million tons of CO2 per year and 1.7 billion tons over their lifetimes. That's equivalent to taking more than 8 million cars off the road every year for 40 years.
That's climate champion Kimiko Hirata, who's been at the forefront of climate action in Japan for decades. In her talk, she shares how a moment of national upheaval revealed a surge of coal projects hiding in plain sight and how she was able to shut down a bunch of them before they even opened. But stopping something is one thing. Convincing people to believe in a different future is another.
We visited communities where projects are located and spoke with people.
Chapter 2: What sparked the movement against coal in Japan?
But on many occasions, people didn't care much about the climate and new coal projects. People cared more about their daily issues. So we talked not only about climate change, but also about economic and financial risks and health impact from air pollution.
She shares key steps she's learned for doing just this so we can turn no into a strong, powerful yes. That's coming up right after a short break.
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And now, our TED Talk of the day.
I've been working on the climate issue for almost 30 years. For most of that time, I worked with a Japanese climate organization called KIKO Network. Of course, it's been filled with ups and downs. But today, I'd like to share some of the moments when we succeeded. One turning point came after the Fukushima nuclear disaster in 2011.
All of Japan's nuclear reactors shut down all of a sudden, and the country's energy system stood at a critical crossroads. While people were awakened to nuclear risks, attention to climate change faded in return. Then soon after, new plans to develop coal-fired power plants began to surge. The number went up to 10, 20 and 50.
That was a really scary trend, considering the long-term CO2 emissions impact. At that time, we were focusing on the UN climate negotiations and national climate policy, but I turned my focus to work on coal. Why coal? Even people close to me ask this question.
Despite the fact that more than 150 units of coal-fired power plants are in operation in Japan, that fact was just unknown and invisible to people, kind of like CO2. So we started to create a nationwide map to track every coal project and made it public. Also, we visited communities where projects are located and spoke with people.
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Chapter 3: How did community engagement play a role in climate action?
I can tell that our collaborative efforts worked. Civil society in Japan is often considered small and powerless. But even as a small group, what seems impossible is not necessarily impossible. That's what I learned. But this is not the end of my journey. Stopping one third of new coal projects is just one step. We still heavily depend on fossil fuels in Japan.
The real challenge for us now is to transform our entire economy away from fossil fuels. That means saying no isn't enough. We need to build positive, strong yes for systemic change. But we still face various arguments, such as, renewable energy is expensive, it's not reliable. Those are very live discussions still in Japan.
And some people in Japan oppose renewable energy because they're concerned about local environmental damage. In addition, many people prioritize other issues than climate. And people are busy, too. We need to remove all of these barriers. So I took another step. I founded an independent think tank, Climate Integrate, to provide fact-based information that can accelerate energy transition.
Moving beyond just saying no, I sit down and talk with people with different views in the government and companies, and then try to build conviction in people to say yes for renewable energy. We started by conducting a comprehensive analysis uniquely applied to the Japanese context.
And with that, we are more confident that it is definitely possible to shift our energy system to renewables with the abundant potential of solar and wind. Having that clear vision, we showed the facts and conveyed the facts. We also started to collaborate with cities, starting from three. Toyo-Oka City in the western area is known for its onsen hot springs and ski resorts.
It is already experiencing climate change, such as reduced snowfall or extreme heat. The city has now challenged itself to become a model of sustainable tourism by incorporating a nature-positive approach and decarbonization. Ichikawa City, near Tokyo, is an area of high population density with a lot of residential buildings.
The city now promotes installing rooftop solar and improving energy efficiency for its housing, particularly targeting young families. Sakata City, located in the north, is an area that has old coal-fired power plants, but it is also a very good location for offshore wind.
The city aims to revitalize its economy through offshore-related business and achieve a just transition away from fossil fuels and coal power. I don't yet know if these efforts will get us to our vision. But even though I changed my approach from no to yes, what I do for renewable energy is actually very similar to what I did for my co-work. I meet people, enhance dialogue and develop networks.
From my experiences, I can tell that change happens when people are engaged with facts and stories. Now my vision is to help Japan to promote renewable energy up to 90 percent or more and achieve full decarbonization and extend that impact across Asia. I know it is very challenging, but I also know that I'm not alone. I have an incredible team and network of experts, advocates and believers.
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