Discursive resistance to phasing out coal-fired electricity: Narratives in Japan's coal regime

Trencher, Gregory; Healy, Noel; Hasegawa, Kôichi; Asuka, Jusen

doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2019.06.020

Cited by 75 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…In their study on Germany, which also struggles about the future of coal, Leipprand and Flachsland (2018) show how incumbents resist the looming decline, as they evoke threats about security of supply, suffering coal mining regions, and job losses. Similar resistance against coal decline has been reported from Japan (Trencher, Healy, Hasegawa, & Asuka, 2019).…”

Section: Resistance and Politicssupporting

confidence: 86%

The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK

Isoaho

Markard

2020

Review of Policy Research

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The decline of carbon intensive technologies is a key element in the ongoing energy transition and our attempts to tackle climate change. At the same time, our understanding of technology decline and of the associated policies and politics is still limited. This paper builds on the sustainability transitions perspective, a novel approach to analyze socio-technical transformation, including the complex interplay of policy and technology change. We study the decline of coal-fired power generation in the United Kingdom from 2000 to 2017 by analyzing the discourse in The Guardian. We find scientists and environmental NGOs criticizing coal for climate and health reasons. Government and incumbent businesses tried to re-legitimate coal but eventually, their resistance collapsed and coal was almost completely abandoned in just a few years. Particularly devastating for coal were failed promises around carbon capture and storage, rapid diffusion of wind energy, and pressure from various policies. This study contributes to better understanding the contested nature of decline, and the interplay of discursive struggles, technology change, and public policy in sustainability transitions.

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Section: Resistance and Politicssupporting

confidence: 86%

The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK

Isoaho

Markard

2020

Review of Policy Research

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“…International transitional effects impact the Japanese economy at an exponential rate, notably regulatory shifts in terms of commodity exploitation or food standards (Van Moerkerk and Crijns-Graus 2016; Nakano 2017). Japanese companies may also come under additional scrutiny in terms of legal and fiduciary duties, with their international coal financing activities and coal technology exports potentially violating more rigid anti-corruption laws or environmental standards UNEP FI 2017, 2019;Trencher et al 2019).…”

Section: Transitional Climate Risksmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It thus claims a leadership role in international climate and environmental politics (Morishita 2019). However, these ambitions are contrasted by Japan's continuing promotion of coal-fired power generation, domestically and internationally, at numerous levels of government and industry, despite mounting international political pressure to decarbonize and cease exports of coalfired power plants (Trencher et al 2019; Mainichi Japan 2019a, 2019b). 1 Moreover, Japan, as the world's third-largest economy by nominal GDP, also boasts in Tokyo one of the major global financial centres (Yeandle and Wardle 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sustainable finance in Japan

Schumacher

Chenet

Volz

2020

Journal of Sustainable Finance & Investment

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This article examines the role of sustainable finance and investment in Japan and how the Japanese financial sector can mitigate growing climate risks and support Japan's transition towards a zero-carbon, sustainable economy. It first illustrates Japan's exposure to physical and transitional climate risks before reviewing emerging practices in sustainable finance. These include the growing importance of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria in financial decision-making; more rigid reporting and disclosure standards; and the development of green bond and sustainable investment markets. The article also assesses the role of policies and regulations in scaling up sustainable finance and low-carbon infrastructure investments. Subsequently, it analyses transitional climate risks via scenario analysis, applying the Paris Agreement Capital Transition Assessment (PACTA) tool to examine the exposure of subsectors of the Japanese equity market over several climate scenarios. The article concludes with policy recommendations for aligning Japan's financial sector with global climate and sustainability goals.

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“…Smink et al (2015) similarly show how incumbents in the Dutch petroleum and lighting industries protect their financial interests through influencing policymakers and engaging in strategic standard-setting. Trencher et al (2019) describe the multiple narratives used by Japanese incumbents to protect and promote investments in coal power plants, and Lee and Hess (2019) demonstrate how the intensity of resistance by incumbents is related to the strength of the threat posed by emerging technologies.…”

Section: Conceptual Backgroundmentioning

confidence: 99%

A new dawn for (oil) incumbents within the bioeconomy? Trade-offs and lessons for policy

Hellsmark

Hansen

2020

Energy Policy

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Research highlights:  Low motivation of forest industry has stalled a transition to a bioeconomy  Public funding of forest biorefineries only payed-off when oil industry entered  Distributed biorefining enables the use of the oil refinery infrastructure  Motivation of forest industry has increased with the entry of the oil industry  Revenues from the bioeconomy can be used to revitalize the fossil economy

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Discursive resistance to phasing out coal-fired electricity: Narratives in Japan's coal regime

Cited by 75 publications

References 45 publications

The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK

The Politics of Technology Decline: Discursive Struggles over Coal Phase‐Out in the UK

Sustainable finance in Japan

A new dawn for (oil) incumbents within the bioeconomy? Trade-offs and lessons for policy

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