Information and communication technologies (ICTs) and ... - ITU

6.2.3 Example from Japan
In Japan, a mandatory cap-and-trade programme has just been set up in Tokyo. Around 60 million tonnes of
GHG emissions were emitted in Tokyo in 2006 and this had risen by three per cent since 1990. The cap-andtrade
programme is unique in that it focuses on large office buildings concentrated in the city centre as
these emit around 40 per cent of the CO2 emitted from the commercial sector. The cap is an absolute cap;
not an intensity target as used in other countries.
Installations under the cap are required to reduce CO2 emissions by six per cent between 2010 and 2014
and this is intended to lead to an overall reduction of GHG emissions in Tokyo by 25 per cent over 2000
levels by 2020. More detail is available here 164 .
6.3 Regulation in developing countries
The Kyoto Protocol does not establish reduction targets for developing countries such as Ghana, which
ratified the treaty on 1995. However, significant progress has achieved during the 2011 Durban Climate
Change Conference, where, according to the UNFCCC 165 ,
“Under the Convention, all industrialized countries plus 49 developing countries have made
mitigation pledges covering the time period from now until 2020. These pledges cover 80% of
global emissions and were affirmed in Durban. Additionally, agreement was reached on how
and by when both developed and developing countries will report on these mitigation efforts,
as well as on the details of verifying these efforts. Countries now need to quickly clarify their
publicly announced mitigation targets and actions, so that there is mutual understanding”
The EPA and the Ministry of Communications have shown leadership in the area of climate change, but has
so far focussed on adaptation rather than emissions reduction. EPA has involved the TSPs and their suppliers
in partnerships, workshops, and awareness outreaches to widen their understanding of climate change and
to bring this knowledge within reach of all communities and individuals in Ghana 166 :
“Cellphone giant Vodafone (which partly owns Verizon) paired up with Ghana’s EPA to form and
lead a Climate Change Adaptation campaign in Ghana. The EPA has learned that solar panels
and clean energy investments do not stop floods or property losses. Currently, Ghana suffers
from extreme climate shifts. There are longer dry season droughts, and subsequent cycles of
severe flooding. High temperatures force near constant influxes of pests and diseases. Climate
change is exacerbating these impacts, which destroy property and takes the lives of thousands
every year. Economically, agricultural losses reach into the millions”.
6.3.1 Example from South Africa
A tax on carbon emissions from motor vehicles was introduced in 2010. Unlike the UK, this applies on first
purchase. ZAR 75 is added to the price for every gram of CO2 per km the vehicle emits over 120 g/km.
6.3.2 Example from China
China uses a measure called ‘carbon intensity’ instead of the absolute level of carbon emissions to assess its
GHG emissions. This is the amount of CO2 produced per unit of economic growth instead of an absolute
emissions cap. However, China has pledged to reduce GHG emissions from 2005 levels per unit GDP by
40-45 per cent by 2020 167 .
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