This page is an English-language virtual field trip to Yubari City in Hokkaido, Japan. Yubari is a town in south-central Hokkaido, with a population of just over 7,000 people as of early 2022. Yubari is perhaps best known in the English-speaking world as a former coal-mining city, which has suffered notable population decline and financial… Read More Yubari Virtual Field Trip
For the next few months, along with colleagues from Kyoto University and Kyushu University, I’m going to be leading a British Academy-funded project on just transitions in Japan. The start of the project is timely, as it coincides with the conclusion of COP26 and the Glasgow Climate Pact. One of the big talking points at… Read More What might the Glasgow Climate Pact mean for a just transition in Japan?
When the Australia Pavilion at COP26 opened on Monday morning, it had at its heart a large bright blue model showcasing a purported climate change solution, complete with information panels and flashing lights. By Wednesday morning, the display was gone. So what happened? The display showed carbon capture and storage in action. CCS is a… Read More COP26 Observer Blog Day 5: is there a place for CCS and hydrogen in our net-zero society?
I get a little bit angry every time I see the physical science basis for climate change being presented at high-level fora on climate change. My immediate reaction is that whilst it is of course important that we keep updating and refining our knowledge, we know enough now to know that human activity is causing… Read More COP26 Observer Blog: Day 4: the Politics of Evidence
One of the big talking points at COP26 so far is the lack of representation of Pacific Islands. Travel from small island states in the Pacific is challenging and costly at the best of times, but COVID restrictions coupled with the uneven distribution of vaccines globally has made it extra difficult for delegations to make… Read More COP26 Observer Blog Day 3: the Tuvalu Pavilion
Early today, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida touched down at Edinburgh Airport in a Japanese Government jet, his first overseas visit since winning an election at the weekend. Less than eight hours later, after a speech at the World Leaders Summit and a meeting with Boris Johnson, he was back on the plane for the… Read More COP26 Observer Blog: Day 2: Japan Focus
Today was my first day at COP26 – the UN Climate Change Conference – where I will be an Observer for the duration of this week. As a newcomer to COP and to being an Observer, there’s a lot to be said for just taking it all in and seeing what’s happening, but it can… Read More COP26 Observer Blog: Day 1
Dr Leslie Mabon 