Can legal obstacles delay Japan’s plans to achieve carbon neutrality?

A recent study explores legal and economic barriers to renewable energy transition and carbon pricing initiatives

Shinshu University

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Japan’s green transformation (GX) strategy aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 through growth-oriented carbon pricing, but some parties face litigations against renewable energy projects. A recent study analyzed Japan’s GX Promotion Act and compared it to the United States’ clean energy policies, including both successes and setbacks. The findings stress that early stakeholder involvement and cooperation with local communities are essential for successful renewable energy projects and a seamless green transition.

As nations worldwide race to meet the 2050 carbon neutrality target, Japan has emerged as a key player in implementing ‘green transformation (GX)’—a comprehensive shift from fossil fuel dependency to renewable energy as a primary power source. Unlike other countries, the Japanese government views this shift not only as an environmental imperative but also as an opportunity for economic growth. Central to this vision is the establishment of a growth-oriented carbon pricing system, enacted in recent groundbreaking legislation such as the GX Promotion Act in 2023.

However, efforts to accelerate this transition have met unforeseen challenges. The fast and large-scale deployment of renewable energy infrastructure has given rise to both environmental and social issues. For example, reflected light from solar panels and noise from wind turbines have disrupted daily life in some communities, while wind turbine blades pose a threat to endangered bird species. In both Japan and the United States, such issues have led to legal action against renewable energy projects. These developments highlight the urgent need to accelerate the implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms while proactively addressing local-level frictions.

In this vein, Professor Hiroshi Kobayashi from the Faculty of Economics and Law and the Office of Sustainability at Shinshu University, Japan, conducted a comprehensive analysis of Japan’s carbon pricing initiatives and its challenges. His research, published in Volume 40 of the Journal of Environmental Law and Litigation on June 2, 2025, examines the legal and economic frameworks established under Japan’s GX Promotion Act and compares them to clean energy transition policies in the United States.

The analysis reveals that Japan’s current implementation timeline may be insufficient to meet climate goals. It focuses on two central components of Japan’s growth-oriented carbon pricing: the emissions trading scheme (GX-ETS) and the fossil fuel levy system. Although the GX-ETS was introduced as a voluntary program in 2023, mandatory participation for large emitters is scheduled for 2026, with paid auctions for the power generation sector starting in 2033. Similarly, the fossil fuel levy system will be operational starting from 2028, meaning that its contributions to the 2030 targets will be negligible.

In addition, Prof. Kobayashi adopts a comparative legal analysis to examine patterns of renewable energy litigation in Japan and the United States, assessing how legal challenges may impact project development. He observes that although Japan experiences fewer ecosystem-based lawsuits—partly due to more restrictive standing requirements—human-centered disputes, particularly those concerning scenic rights and noise pollution, continue to pose substantial obstacles. “It is essential to mitigate the risk of litigation by fostering renewable energy projects in symbiosis with local communities, in order to expedite the full-scale implementation of growth-oriented carbon pricing," he emphasizes. His research highlights that successful renewable energy projects require both early stakeholder engagement and transparent consultation with local communities, as evidenced by the contrasting outcomes of the failed Cape Wind project and the successful Block Island offshore wind farm in the United States.

The article also highlights the disparity in scale between Japanese and American climate investments. While Japan plans to issue 20 trillion yen in GX Economic Transition Bonds over the next decade, the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act provides an estimated US$369 billion in climate investments—reflecting a more aggressive financial commitment to the clean energy transition, which will be changed by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act under the Trump administration.

According to Prof. Kobayashi, the delayed implementation of carbon pricing mechanisms conflicts with the urgency outlined in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Sixth Synthesis Report. This report strongly emphasizes that actions taken this decade will have a decisive impact on humanity’s future. Prof. Kobayashi mentions, “To achieve a decarbonized society by 2050, I believe that growth-oriented carbon pricing, including emissions trading systems and fossil fuel levies, needs to be fully implemented at an early stage.” Worth mentioning, the GX Promotion Act was amended in May 2025, requiring companies with carbon dioxide emissions of 100,000 tons or more per year to participate in emissions trading.

Although carbon pricing and renewable energy-related litigations are not directly linked, minimizing litigation risks associated with renewable energy projects is essential to ensure their timely completion, thereby supporting a seamless green energy transition. To summarize, this study offers invaluable insights not only for Japan but for all nations committed to realizing carbon neutrality goals.

 

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About Shinshu University

Shinshu University is a national university founded in 1949 and located nestling under the Japanese Alps in Nagano known for its stunning natural landscapes.

Shinshu University was selected for the Forming Japan’s Peak Research Universities (J-PEAKS) Program by the Japanese government. This initiative seeks to promote the formation of university consortia that will enhance research capabilities across Japan.

Our motto, "Powered by Nature - strengthening our network with society and applying nature to create innovative solutions for a better tomorrow" reflects the mission of fostering promising creative professionals and deepening the collaborative relationship with local communities, which leads to our contribution to regional development by innovation in various fields. We’re working on providing solutions for building a sustainable society through interdisciplinary research fields: material science (carbon, fiber and composites), biomedical science (for intractable diseases and preventive medicine) and mountain science, and aiming to boost research and innovation capability through collaborative projects with distinguished researchers from the world. For more information visit https://www.shinshu-u.ac.jp/english/ or follow us on X (Twitter) @ShinshuUni for our latest news.

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Method of Research

Literature review

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Carbon Pricing for GX and Renewable Energy : The Case of Japan and Comparisons to the United States

 

Drexel engineers want to make buildings more energy efficient by making walls, floors and ceilings more like elephant ears

Veins of phase-change material can turn cementitious construction materials into passive contributors to heating and cooling in buildings

Drexel University

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3D x-ray scan reconstruction of vascular building materials created by researchers at Drexel University.

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Credit: Drexel University

Drawing inspiration from the veinous ears of jackrabbits and elephants, Drexel University researchers have come up with a new approach to passive heating and cooling that could one day make buildings more energy efficient. Their concept, recently published in the Journal of Building Engineering, embeds a vascular network within cement-based building materials that, when filled with paraffin-based material, can help passively regulate the surface temperature of walls, floors and ceilings.

The approach is an effort to address the substantial contribution of building energy demand — nearly 40% of all energy use — to the production of greenhouse gas. About half of a building’s energy use is spent maintaining a comfortable temperature. And while new insulation products and techniques have helped to shore up walls, windows and ceilings, these surfaces remain the biggest challenge when it comes to holding or losing heat — contributing to about 63% of energy loss in buildings.

“Architecturally, it looks nice to have a lot of window area on a building, but this also results in diminished insulation properties,” said Rhythm Osan, an undergraduate student in the College of Engineering who was a co-author of the research. “In an ideal world, a building wouldn’t lose any heat, but from a realistic constructability standpoint, issues like thermal bridging, air leakage from ducts, material performance and joint detailing will always pose some heat loss.”

Turning this frustrating reality on its head, the Drexel team devised a way for these surfaces to contribute to maintaining a desired indoor temperature, rather than being an impediment to it. 

“Look at the way our circulatory system is used to regulate temperature. When it’s hot out, blood runs to the surface – we might get a little red in the face and begin to sweat through our glands and this cools us down through a phase-change process — sweat evaporation,” said Amir Farnam, PhD, an associate professor in Drexel’s College of Engineering who was a leader of the research. “This is a very effective, natural process that we wanted to replicate it in building materials.”

Farnam’s Advance Infrastructure Materials (AIM) Lab is a leader in research focused on nature-inspired methods for making infrastructure materials more durable. They have previously developed concrete that uses phase-change material — similar to the paraffin used to make candles — to melt snow and ice from its surface; self-healing concrete that employs special bacteria that produce calcium carbonate; and 3D printed polymers that strengthen concrete structures.

To create the thermally responsive building materials, the group drew inspiration from several of these endeavors — using a printed polymer matrix to create the grid of channels in the concrete surface before filling them with a paraffin-based material to enable their responsive temperature regulation.

Phase-change materials, like paraffin, are uniquely suited for this application because they absorb and release thermal energy as they shift between liquid and solid states. So as temperatures drop, and the material transitions from liquid to solid, it releases heat energy; conversely, when ambient temperatures rise the material is able to absorb heat energy, producing a cool surface.

“We have previously used paraffin-based material as the phase-change ingredient for self-warming concrete, so we knew that it was a reliable, natural substance that could affect the surface temperature of concrete building materials,” said Robin Deb, PhD, a research scientist in the AIM Lab and a co-author of the research. “For this application we selected a phase-change material with a melting temperature around 18 degrees Celsius, a relatively low melting point, to test its effectiveness in cold climates. But this system would allow for tailoring the phase-change material to be responsive in warmer climates as well.”

Using a dissolvable, or “sacrificial,” polymer template, the team created a series of cement samples with varying vascular channel patterns, including a single channel, multiple channels, parallel channels perpendicular to the edges of the surface, diagonal parallel channels and a diamond-shaped grid of channels; and ranging in thickness from 3 to 8 millimeters.

They tested each sample to determine its mechanical behavior, as well as their ability to slow surface warming and cooling, in relation to ambient environmental conditions, when the channels were filled with phase-change material.

The most effective combination of strength and thermal regulation proved to be the sample with diamond-shaped grid channel architecture. This sample was able to maintain its structural integrity during tests to stretch and compress it, while also slowing the heating and cooling of its surface — to 1-1.25 degrees Celsius per hour — with respect to its environment.

“We found, perhaps not surprisingly, that more vasculature surface area equates to better thermal performance. This observation is similar to physiology of elephant and jackrabbit ears, which contain extensive areas of vasculature to help regulate their body temperature,” Deb said. “We believe that our vascular materials could play a similar role in a building by helping to offset temperature shifts and reduce energy demand from HVAC to maintain thermal comfort.”

To further bolster the strength of the materials — despite being partially hollowed out by the channels — the team showed adding a fine aggregate material to the cement could improve its durability without affecting the vasculature’s ability to circulate the phase-change material.

“While this study was intended to show a proof of concept, these results are promising and something we can build on,” Farnam said. “This shows both the effectiveness of this method for regulating surface temperature in cementitious materials, as well as a simple and cost-effective method for producing them. With additional testing and scaling we believe this has the potential to make a significant contribution to the many ongoing efforts to improve the energy efficiency of buildings.”

The team’s future research will entail testing different phase-change materials and channel configurations in larger cementitious material samples over a longer period of time and a wider range of environmental temperatures, among other variables.

Drexel University researchers are developing building materials— inspired by the vacsculature found in elephant and jackrabbit ears — that can contribute to energy efficient thermal regulation of buildings.

Credit

Drexel University

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Journal

Journal of Building Engineering

DOI

10.1016/j.jobe.2025.112878 

Method of Research

Experimental study

Article Title

Nature inspired vascular self-thermal responsive cementitious composites with phase change materials

 

University of Houston engineer leads team advancing early detection of ovarian cancer

Finding early biomarkers with large scale screening

University of Houston

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Tianfu Wu, associate professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Houston, is leading a team to find early markers for ovarian cancer. 

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Credit: University of Houston

With a $1.2 million grant from the Department of Defense, Tianfu Wu, associate professor of biomedical engineering, will lead a team of researchers, partnering with those from MD Anderson Cancer Center, in finding early markers for ovarian cancer. 

Ovarian cancer is a deadly threat because it is difficult to detect early. Most women (70-75%) are diagnosed once the cancer has already spread, and their chances of survival are below 32%. Computational models estimate that detecting ovarian cancer earlier could reduce mortality by 10-30%.  

Currently doctors screen for ovarian cancer by measuring the rising amount of a protein called Cancer Antigen 125, or CA125, produced by ovarian cancer cells, to detect 70% of early-stage cases, but still additional biomarkers are needed to improve sensitivity and to detect cases missed by CA125. 

"Advancing early detection methodologies is essential to improving patient prognosis and survival outcomes,” said Wu. “The technological challenges in the early detection of ovarian cancer are multifaceted, primarily due to limited sensitivity of currently available biomarkers and the absence of highly accurate biomarkers that can detect the disease well before clinical diagnosis.” 

So, Wu and team have set out to find better biomarkers, starting first with autoantibodies which target the tumor suppressor gene often mutated in cancers and can be an early indicator of ovarian cancer development. 

Wu’s partner in the research, Robert C. Bast, MD, at MD Anderson Cancer Center, has pioneered the practice of early detection of ovarian cancer.   

“Given the fact that we have shown autoantibodies and antibody-antigen immune complex could improve the sensitivity and detect ovarian cancer earlier, we hypothesize that additional high-performance biomarkers, particularly novel immune complexes, could improve the sensitivity to detect early-stage ovarian cancer when combined with CA125,” said Wu. 

To discover new autoantibodies, Wu’s team developed a test that detects thousands of immune reactions at once, looking for immune complexes (clusters of antibodies and their targets.) After finding more than 100 significantly upregulated immune complexes in ovarian cancer patients compared to healthy patients, the team will test approximately 10 to 20 of the biomarker candidates to assess their performance in the early detection of ovarian cancer. 

The team will also use machine learning modeling to develop computer algorithms for data analysis and disease predictions in collaboration with Ying Lin, associate professor of industrial and systems engineering at UH. Zhen Lu, MD, at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, rounds out the team. 

 

A statement from the Global Virus Network (GVN) on the rapidly escalating measles crisis in the U.S. and worldwide

GVN urges immediate action to reverse declining immunization rates amid largest U.S. measles surge in decades

Global Virus Network

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Tampa, FL, USA - The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading human and animal virologists from 80+ Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in more than 40 countries, is sounding the alarm over a sharp resurgence of measles cases in the United States and globally. This resurgence, fueled by falling vaccination rates, threatens to erode decades of public health progress.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known to humans and is entirely preventable through routine vaccination. The U.S. is now experiencing its highest number of measles cases in over 30 years, with nearly 1300 confirmed cases reported across nearly 40 states in 2025 alone. A recent outbreak in Texas, its largest since the 1990s, has resulted in the death of two children and hundreds of cases concentrated in areas with low vaccine coverage, such as Gaines County. According to publicly available data, the percentage of K–12 students in Gaines County with a conscientious exemption to at least one vaccine has generally increased over the past decade, rising from 4.83% in the 2015–2016 school year to 14.54% in 2024–2025. While some fluctuations in the percentages were reported, the overall trend shows a significant rise, particularly in recent years.

Additional clusters have been confirmed in New Mexico, Kansas, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Montana, and Kentucky, among others. These outbreaks underscore how quickly the virus can spread, especially among unvaccinated children. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that kindergarten vaccination rates have dropped below 93% nationally during the 2023-2024 school year, while nonmedical exemptions have climbed to a record 3.3%. These figures are below the 95% threshold needed for levels of herd immunity to prevent outbreaks.

Globally, measles is surging in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Europe, exacerbated by war, displacement, fragile health systems, and interrupted vaccination campaigns. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the CDC report that over 10.3 million cases occurred worldwide in 2023, up from just 10,000 in 2022, a 30-fold increase.

Half of all large outbreaks occurred in Africa, with significant upswings in Europe, where 41 of 53 countries reported measles cases.  The Americas reported an 11-fold increase in early 2025 measles cases, many of them imported by travelers returning from high-incidence regions.

“As global travel rebounds, localized outbreaks can quickly become international threats,” said Robert C. Gallo, MD, chairman of the Scientific Leadership Board and co-founder of the GVN. “This is not just about measles, it’s a warning about what happens when we let our guard down against vaccine-preventable diseases.” Dr. Gallo, who is most widely known for his co-discovery of HIV as the cause of AIDS, is also the James P. Cullison Professor of Medicine and director of the Institute of Translational Virology and Innovation at the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, and director of the Microbial Oncology Program at Tampa General Hospital (TGH) Cancer Institute.

Complications from measles are not rare. In unvaccinated populations, 1 to 3 in 1,000 infected children die, while many more suffer from pneumonia, severe diarrhea, deafness, or encephalitis. Some children go on to develop subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, a deadly neurologic condition that can appear years after infection.

“Every measles outbreak is a failure of public health infrastructure and public trust,” said Scott C. Weaver, MS, PhD, GVN Center of Excellence Director at The University of Texas Medical Branch and Scientific Director of the Galveston National Laboratory. “We cannot afford complacency. The MMR vaccine is safe, effective, and essential to safeguarding our communities, especially the most vulnerable among us.”

The GVN urgently calls for:

• Immediate vaccination of unvaccinated children and adults with the MMR vaccine.
• Stronger public health messaging.
• Improved outbreak surveillance and response systems at local, national, and global levels.
• Focused efforts in underserved and rural communities, where access and hesitancy pose heightened risks.

As a network dedicated to pandemic preparedness, the GVN warns that the erosion of routine immunization not only endangers individual lives but also undermines global capacity to respond to future viral threats.

GVN experts are available for interviews and commentary.

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About the Global Virus Network (GVN)
The Global Virus Network (GVN) is a worldwide coalition comprising 80+ Virology Centers of Excellence and Affiliates across 40+ countries, whose mission is to facilitate pandemic preparedness against viral pathogens and diseases that threaten public health globally. GVN advances knowledge of viruses through (i) data-driven research and solutions, (ii) fostering the next generation of virology leaders, and (iii) enhancing global resources for readiness and response to emerging viral threats. GVN provides the essential expertise required to discover and diagnose viruses that threaten public health, understand how such viruses spread illnesses, and facilitate the development of diagnostics, therapies, and treatments to combat them. GVN coordinates and collaborates with local, national, and international scientific institutions and government agencies to provide real-time virus informatics, surveillance, and response resources and strategies.  GVN's pandemic preparedness mission is achieved by focusing on Education & Training, Qualitative & Quantitative Research, and Global Health Strategies & Solutions. The GVN is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization. For more information, please visit www.gvn.org.

 

 

Restored wetlands reap benefits for climate, drought-resilience after just one year: study

Reviving floodplain wetlands slashes carbon emissions by 39% and restores critical ecosystem functions in one year – without the methane spike typically seen in restored peatlands, a new study has found

RMIT University

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Image of restored wetland.

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Credit: RMIT

Reviving floodplain wetlands slashes carbon emissions by 39% and restores critical ecosystem functions in one year – without the methane spike typically seen in restored peatlands, a new study has found.

Peatlands are known as top carbon sinks, but can produce up to 530% more methane after restoration, potentially offsetting short-term climate benefits.

Whereas floodplain, or riparian wetlands, which comprise over half of global wetlands, are often overlooked due to their lower carbon storage.

Now a new study in the Journal of Environmental Management reveals restored floodplain wetlands can recover within a year and show substantial ecosystem benefits rapidly.

New evidence of rapid and lasting benefits

Study lead-author Dr Lukas Schuster from RMIT University’s Centre for Nature Positive Solutions said the scale and pace of ecosystem benefits revealed within just one year of restoration provide a clear case for action.

“Restoring wetlands could be a secret weapon against climate change,” he said.

“We found managing freshwater wetlands for carbon benefits also boosts flood and drought resilience, highlighting the dual benefits of restoration.”

While rewetting and revegetation reduced carbon emissions by 39%, net carbon emissions from the unrestored control wetlands increased by 169% over the monitoring period.

Surface organic carbon stocks, where carbon is stored in plant roots and soil, increased by 12% within one year in restored sites and decreased by 10% in control sites, showing the difference in carbon sequestration potential.

Restored wetlands retained more water in the area, with soil moisture levels increasing by 55%, even after the wetlands themselves had dried, showing drought mitigation potential.

Schuster said increased water retention was linked to improved surface carbon storage in freshwater wetlands.

“We observed a vital link between carbon dynamics and ecosystem function,” he said.

“Wetlands are nature’s purification system, removing nitrogen from waterways and carbon from the atmosphere.

“Now we know even more about the important role they play and how quickly their recovery can be, it’s time to act.”

Freshwater wetlands, covering less than 10% of the Earth's surface, contribute up to 25% of global methane emissions.

Despite this, they hold significant potential as long-term carbon sinks, playing a crucial role in the global carbon cycle.

For the study, researchers compared three degraded with three restored wetlands along the Loddon River in Victoria, Australia, measuring native plant cover, carbon cycling and ecosystem function.

In the restored wetlands, native plant cover increased significantly, with leaf litter from two dominant native wetland species decomposing more slowly than that of an invasive grass species, suggesting a greater potential for carbon preservation in the soil.

With 45% more nitrogen retained in the soil, restored wetlands showed increased nutrient cycling, which is linked to improved water quality and helps prevent ecosystem disruption like harmful algal blooms, oxygen depletion and contamination.

Schuster said this was important because riparian wetlands are connected to other ecosystems like rivers and streams.

“More nitrogen removed from these wetlands has a positive flow-on effect to connected waterways,” he said.

“If you manage the carbon outcome, you get other benefits like drought resilience and healthier farmland where flora and fauna can thrive.

“We’ve shown wetland restoration pays off, so we hope this study will inform future land management policies.”

A floodplain wetland was also monitored six years after it was restored by reintroducing water flow, finding surface organic carbon stocks increased by 53%, demonstrating lasting benefits.

The research was led by RMIT’s Centre for Nature Positive Solutions, which focuses on addressing urgent environmental challenges from climate change to pollution and biodiversity loss.

Researchers from the Victorian Government's premier biodiversity research institute, the Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, were also involved.

The study was funded by the Australian Government’s Future Drought Fund, Deakin University's Blue Sky Fund and the Australian Research Council.

‘Restoring riparian wetlands for carbon and nitrogen benefits and other critical ecosystem functions’, is published in the Journal of Environmental Management. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126433.

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Journal

Journal of Environmental Management

DOI

10.1016/j.jenvman.2025.126433 

Method of Research

Observational study

Subject of Research

Not applicable

Article Title

Restoring riparian wetlands for carbon and nitrogen benefits and other critical ecosystem functions