Thanks to your warm support and collaboration, Greenpeace Japan was able to conduct a range of important projects in 2024. So let me start by saying thank you to you all for your invaluable support.

Tackling climate change

One initiative that we focused on in 2024 is the promotion of renewable energy and energy conservation. Following the creation of the “Kanagawa Citizen’s Forum for Decarbonization” at the beginning of the year, we expanded our network within the prefecture, and took the first concrete step towards making solar power generation compulsory within Kanagawa. This grassroots, citizen-led movement, which calls on local governments to be more active in taking measures to combat climate change, is spreading to other prefectures such as Saitama, Chiba, and all around the country.

Insulation project

As extreme heat caused by global warming continues to pose numerous health risks, at Greenpeace we launched a project to improve children’s learning environment by retrofitting insulation in schools. We conducted a survey of classroom temperatures in the summer, and used the data to demonstrate that insulation of school buildings is essential. Through the petition that we started in 2023, our lobbying of local governments, and our newly created website, we successfully promoted the retrofitting of insulation in senior high schools in Kanagawa prefecture. These achievements demonstrate how initiatives to combat climate change also improve the quality of our daily lives and local communities.

Plastic issue

Regarding the plastics issue, 2024 saw further developments in negotiations for a global plastics treaty. At Greenpeace, we hosted the second Global Plastics Treaty Symposium in Japan, inviting representatives from the government, the private sector, NGOs, and academia to engage in active discussion about challenges and solutions relating to the creation of a global plastics treaty. We also conducted study sessions for members of the media and published the report ”Leading the Change”. We aimed to widely disseminate information about the issue of single-use plastics, as well as solutions, such as reuse systems. This was part of our effort to promote a deeper understanding of the issue amongst citizens and members of the media. We also continued our dialogues with corporations, exploring concrete possibilities for the reduction of plastic throughout the supply chain, and building relationships for constructive cooperation in the future. Furthermore, Greenpeace Japan staff attended intergovernmental meetings for the plastics treaty as an observer, succeeding in not only delivering the voice of civil society to the meeting, but also lobbying the Japanese government negotiator, calling on the Japanese government to make a proactive contribution to the negotiations. Although the signing of the treaty was carried over into 2025, we are confident that these activities have brought us one step closer to a plastic pollution-free future.

Exhibition and events for citizens

As part of our climate work for citizens, we held a touring version of the HELP Exhibition that we hosted in Tokyo in 2023, taking it to Shiga and Aomori prefectures. The exhibition and related events were designed to enable people to experience the effects of global warming on our lives and communities, through art. We created an opportunity for the many people who attended the exhibitions to experience climate change as something real and close to home, by referencing lake Biwa and the surrounding natural habitat in Shiga, and the rich nature and apple orchards of Aomori.

In 2025, we will continue to work with citizens to change policies at the national and regional level. With your support, we will also embark on new challenges to accelerate the path towards a decorbonized society. Thank you once again for your ongoing support.

Greenpeace Japan
Executive Director
Sam Annesley