adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Economy

Japan lays out plan to steer economy away from carbon by 2050 – The Japan Times

Published

 on


The trade ministry released Friday a roadmap to shepherd Japan’s economy away from fossil fuels, and foster growth in green energy industries to bring within reach Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s pledge to eliminate net carbon dioxide emissions by 2050.

The report — which calls for strong government spending to subsidize and incentivize emissions reduction, and innovation in more than a dozen industries — details the potential economic growth that can be expected if the country reaches net zero carbon emissions.

Not only does the plan provide a tentative framework to support Suga’s vow in October to achieve decarbonization within three decades, it represents a major shift in the central government’s attitude in treating renewable energy not as a barrier to economic growth but as a catalyst.

300x250x1

“To divest from fossil fuels, shift to renewable energy and eliminate carbon emissions should not be seen as a restriction of economic activity, but as an opportunity to take advantage of inevitable change,” a trade ministry official told reporters Thursday. “The central government will stand behind the private sector in leading the shift to a carbon free society.”

The report designates 14 industries in which significant growth and investment are key to achieve decarbonization. These include offshore wind, ammonia fuel, hydrogen, nuclear energy, cars, shipping, airlines, semiconductors, logistics, agriculture, carbon recycling, housing, energy recycling and the lifestyles of individual people.

According to the trade ministry’s outline, the government aims to raise offshore wind energy output to 45 million kilowatt-hours by 2040, hydrogen power consumption to 20 million tons by 2050, promote nuclear energy abroad but halt domestic projects, decarbonize the agriculture industry and reduce coal-fired power consumption to the point where carbon recycling technology can be developed to nullify the remaining harmful emissions.

By targeting these industries, the trade ministry aims to mobilize more than ¥240 trillion in private sector savings through investment, regulation, subsidies and tax incentives. In doing so, it expects the cumulative economic impact to reach ¥90 trillion in 2030, and ¥190 trillion by 2050.

While the plan is tentative, officials said the government would begin to take steps where it could as soon as possible. They added that the plan was only a projection and that its implementation will depend on the country’s energy portfolio, which is decided by a Strategic Energy Plan set to be revised some time before June 2021, pending government discussions that began in October this year.

Still, questions remain concerning the country’s willingness to overhaul the world’s third largest economy and slash harmful greenhouse gas emissions to curtail climate change. Japan is also the world’s fifth largest emitter of carbon dioxide.

The government aims to reduce the more than 1 billion tons of greenhouse gases the country emitted in 2018, according to the trade ministry, to 930 million in 2030 and net zero by 2050.

At the same time, the ministry projects that domestic demand for electricity will grow by between 30% and 50% by 2050. Electricity accounted for 37% of the country’s carbon emissions in 2018, while 25% came from manufacturing, 17% from transportation and 10% from households and businesses.

The government also aims to ban the sale of new gasoline automobiles in the first half of the 2030s. Trade ministry officials said the country aims to announce some time during the summer of 2021 its plan to make all new commercial and passenger vehicles completely electric.

The plan, however, will not ban the sale of hybrid vehicles. The omission has drawn criticism from opponents who say the government is easing into the transition away from gas-powered cars in a bid to appease automobile manufacturers.

Earlier this month, Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike announced a nearly identical plan for the city, different only in that the capital will aim to ban sales of new gasoline cars by 2030.

“Tokyo has and will continue to lead the country’s efforts to reduce harmful emissions,” Koike said during an exclusive interview Wednesday. “By setting ambitious goals, the capital can push the country forward.”

Suga’s announcement in October — that Japan would strive to achieve net zero carbon dioxide emissions by 2050, as was demanded of all countries in the 2015 Paris Agreement — was met with skepticism and doubt from supporters and critics alike.

Climate advocates criticized his commitment to nuclear energy and carbon capture technology, while many private sector corporations in the energy industry were resistant to back a plan that would almost certainly upend their business models.

“With the economy and the environment situated as two pillars of the country’s growth, my administration will make the utmost effort to achieve a green society,” Suga said in October. “It needs to be understood that global warming countermeasures could transform the economy and foster growth, not hinder it.”

The Paris Agreement calls on nations to keep global warming from exceeding 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels, a critical benchmark that scientists say would trigger the beginning of a collapse in many of Earth’s ecosystems and spell disaster for humankind.

In a time of both misinformation and too much information, quality journalism is more crucial than ever.
By subscribing, you can help us get the story right.

SUBSCRIBE NOW

PHOTO GALLERY (CLICK TO ENLARGE)

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Economy

The Crypto Bull Run Is Igniting The Web3 Creator Economy – Forbes

Published

 on


Protection and monetization of digital IP has long been one of the most promising areas for Web3 disruption, offering to better protect IP while returning more value to creators. Development to date has focused on leveraging the capabilities of NFTs to introduce digital scarcity while using smart contracts to better enforce the distribution of royalties. Nevertheless, it’s fair to say that no solution has yet proven compelling enough to attract significant adoption from the established creator economy, which was reported by Goldman Sachs
GS
in 2023 to be worth around $250 billion.

The bear market of the last two years has undoubtedly played a part, with Crunchbase stating that funding for Web3 projects “cratered” by 74% year over year in 2023, making it more difficult for projects to advance their roadmaps.

However, over the same period, a new threat to the creator economy has emerged: The growing prevalence of AI-based tools. With a new bull market now underway, has the moment arrived for Web3 creator tools?

300x250x1

A Sea Change For Creators

AI is a double-edged sword that has the potential to both make and break the burgeoning creator economy. Generative AI paves the way for a new wave of creators and modes of creation; however, the human ramifications could be significant. Traditional creators, including the New York Times
NYT
, are already mounting lawsuits over the unfair use of their work to train algorithms. Plus, there’s the impending risk that human creativity could get drowned out by a wave of AI-generated content.

There’s also the question of monetization. Each successive wave of digitalization tends to strip value from creators, leading to concerns that the rise of AI will further erode the ability of creatives to monetize their work.

While many are still debating the scale of the AI threat, creators are seeking any solution to better protect their work and future earning opportunities, while regulators and policy hawks are keen to see more transparency in AI-generated content. The fact that this is an election year in dozens of countries where AI-based content is already playing a headline role also adds a political and democratic imperative to the equation.

Reigniting The Web3 Creator Fire

The new bull market in crypto is now giving fresh impetus to projects and investors who understand the opportunity for Web3-based creator tools but have been waiting for the right time to move into the market. Korea’s largest VC firm, Hashed, recently put the creator economy and protection of intellectual property at the top of its 2024 call for startups, and the theme will be central to this year’s Korean Blockchain Week (KBW). The flagship KBW: Impact conference event is organized by FACTBLOCK and co-hosted by Hashed.

!function(n) if(!window.cnxps) window.cnxps=,window.cnxps.cmd=[]; var t=n.createElement(‘iframe’); t.display=’none’,t.onload=function() var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement(‘script’); c.src=’//cd.connatix.com/connatix.playspace.js’,c.setAttribute(‘defer’,’1′),c.setAttribute(‘type’,’text/javascript’),n.body.appendChild(c) ,n.head.appendChild(t) (document);
(function() function createUniqueId() return ‘xxxxxxxx-xxxx-4xxx-yxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx’.replace(/[xy]/g, function(c) var r = Math.random() * 16 ); const randId = createUniqueId(); document.getElementsByClassName(‘fbs-cnx’)[0].setAttribute(‘id’, randId); document.getElementById(randId).removeAttribute(‘class’); (new Image()).src = ‘https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=206af0af-26b4-4bf2-9503-bed717f112a4’; cnxps.cmd.push(function () cnxps( playerId: ‘206af0af-26b4-4bf2-9503-bed717f112a4’).render(randId); ); )();

I reached out to Simon Kim, CEO and Managing Partner at Hashed, who shared, “We foresee that integrating content into Web3-based creator applications will enhance user retention and drive sustainable growth, fundamentally transforming the overall user experience. The progression of AI technology will be a catalyst in accelerating this trend, further bridging the gap between innovative content creation and blockchain technology. Blockchain is a pivotal force in redefining the landscape of content creation, offering novel pathways for IP management and monetization.”

Even AI Creators Need A Hand

Along with names such as a16z and Paris Hilton’s VC fund, Hashed also participated in last year’s $54 million round for Story Protocol, one of the standout successes in an otherwise flat funding year. Story Protocol is a “programmable IP layer” that aims to simplify the enforcement of rights, allow creative remixing, and streamline the monetization process for both original and subsequent creations while minimizing the operational barriers that often hinder the creative industry.

Perhaps somewhat paradoxically, the project recently made headlines thanks to a partnership that will allow user-generated AI models created on Ritual to be recorded and accredited to their creators with each use.

However, competition to capture the Web3 opportunity for the creator economy is rapidly heating up across the space.

In December, Web3 gaming giant Animoca Brands confirmed the company’s commitment to supporting the creator economy and advancing Web3 over the coming year. Although primarily known for its game portfolio, Animoca also operates an ed-tech platform that enables co-publishing rights for educational content, allowing creators to distribute monetized content directly to students. The CEO highlighted the lack of control and monetization opportunities for creators in the Web2 space.

From Piracy To IP Protection

Many might remember Limewire, perhaps best known as the scourge of noughties musicians. In 2007, the Electronic Frontier Foundation estimated that it was on one in three computers to obtain pirated MP3 files. However, the project recently launched a Web3 creator studio on Polygon
MATIC
, initially focused on imagery but with plans to expand to music and audio files.

Users can access a range of AI tools to manipulate files or create new works. All creations are minted as an NFT
NFT
on the Polygon blockchain, while royalties are paid out automatically based on the use or sale of the content. Ultimately, Limewire could go from being a facilitator of pirated music to a monetization tool for musicians: Quite the redemption arc, particularly so in this new era when the Web2 streaming model has evolved to hurt musicians’ revenues.

However, some are taking the royalty payments a layer deeper to mitigate future protocol risk. Projects including Enjin and Rarible have embedded royalty payment functionality into the blockchain programming itself, meaning that its application-agnostic and royalty payments should continue uninterrupted for as long as the blockchain is in operation.

As these developments are still in their infancy, it will be intriguing to see how they are received by a creator economy that’s grappling with the full impact of AI tools. However, the combined factors of a new bull market, AI’s opportunities and challenges, and the chance to better monetize and protect IP amid declining revenues on Web2 platforms mean that the timing for Web3 creator tools to make a strategic market entry could not be better.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Economy

Britain's economy went into recession last year, official figures confirm – The Globe and Mail

Published

 on


Open this photo in gallery:

People walk over London Bridge, in London, on Oct. 25, 2023.SUSANNAH IRELAND/Reuters

Britain’s economy entered a shallow recession last year, official figures confirmed on Thursday, leaving Prime Minister Rishi Sunak with a challenge to reassure voters that the economy is safe with him before an election expected later this year.

Gross domestic product shrank by 0.1 per cent in the third quarter and by 0.3 per cent in the fourth, unchanged from preliminary estimates, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said on Thursday.

The figures will be disappointing for Mr. Sunak, who has been accused by the opposition Labour Party – far ahead in opinion polls – of overseeing “Rishi’s recession.”

300x250x1

“The weak starting point for GDP this year means calendar-year growth in 2024 is likely to be limited to less than 1 per cent,” said Martin Beck, chief economic adviser at EY ITEM Club.

“However, an acceleration in momentum this year remains on the cards.”

Britain’s economy has shown signs of starting 2024 on a stronger footing, with monthly GDP growth of 0.2 per cent in January, and unofficial surveys suggesting growth continued in February and March.

Tax cuts announced by finance minister Jeremy Hunt and expectations of interest-rate cuts are likely to help the economy in 2024.

However, Britain remains one of the slowest countries to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. At the end of last year, its economy was just 1 per cent bigger than in late 2019, with only Germany faring worse among Group of Seven nations.

The economy grew just 0.1 per cent in all of 2023, its weakest performance since 2009, excluding the peak-pandemic year of 2020.

GDP per person, which has not grown since early 2022, fell by 0.6 per cent in the fourth quarter and 0.7 per cent across 2023.

Sterling was little changed against the dollar and the euro after the data release.

The Bank of England (BOE) has said inflation is moving toward the point where it can start cutting rates. It expects the economy to grow by just 0.25 per cent this year, although official budget forecasters expect a 0.8-per-cent expansion.

BOE policy maker Jonathan Haskel said in an interview reported in Thursday’s Financial Times that rate cuts were “a long way off,” despite dropping his advocacy of a rise at last week’s meeting.

Thursday’s figures from the ONS also showed 0.7 per cent growth in households’ real disposable income, flat in the previous quarter.

Thomas Pugh, an economist at consulting firm RSM, said the increase could prompt consumers to increase their spending and support the economy.

“Consumer confidence has been improving gradually over the last year … as the impact of rising real wages filters through into people’s pockets, even though consumers remain cautious overall,” Mr. Pugh said.

Britain’s current account deficit totalled £21.18-billion ($36.21-billion) in the fourth quarter, slightly narrower than a forecast of £21.4-billion ($36.6-billion) shortfall in a Reuters poll of economists, and equivalent to 3.1 per cent of GDP, up from 2.7 per cent in the third quarter.

The underlying current account deficit, which strips out volatile trade in precious metals, expanded to 3.9 per cent of GDP.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Economy

How will a shrinking population affect the global economy? – Al Jazeera English

Published

 on


Falling fertility rates could bring about a transformational demographic shift over the next 25 years.

It has been described as a demographic catastrophe.

The Lancet medical journal warns that a majority of countries do not have a high enough fertility rate to sustain their population size by the end of the century.

300x250x1

The rate of the decline is uneven, with some developing nations seeing a baby boom.

The shift could have far-reaching social and economic impacts.

Enormous population growth since the industrial revolution has put enormous pressure on the planet’s limited resources.

So, how does the drop in births affect the economy?

And regulators in the United States and the European Union crack down on tech monopolies.

The gender gap in tech narrows.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending