Carbon cap and trade at risk as Japan considers climate bill

Tokyo, Japan: Japan is at risk of undermining its own recent commitments on carbon emissions reductions during a confused – and confusing – debate on forthcoming climate legislation, WWF said today. WWF is calling on a high-level Cabinet Member Committee meeting regarding climate change on Thursday to stick with the already outlined absolute emissions reductions of 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 agreed under the Copenhagen Accord framework, and with the ‘cap and trade’ scheme outlined as a key mechanism for achieving the target. The climate bill, to be presented to the full cabinet including Prime Minister Hatoyama on Friday, is being criticized by heavy industry labour unions for possible job loss while some government ministries are promoting a carbon intensity framework for emissions reductions. Intensity-based emissions trading schemes however seriously undermines the environmental integrity of the bill - absolute emissions would increase with production even if intensity-based targets are achieved. “If the bill includes "intensity-based" emissions trading schemes then it does not consider the emissions cap that the Japanese government has promised to the Japanese people during the elections and to the world following the Copenhagen Accord,” said Naoyuki Yamagishi, WWF-Japan's Head of Climate Change. “It should have “absolute-based" emissions trading, which is crucial for the scheme to be called “cap and trade” scheme.” Japanese civil groups are also calling on the government to drop the conditionality clauses in the new bill that threaten to tie Japanese action on climate change to a successful international agreement which includes all the major economies. “Japan should not send wrong signals by making its action absolutely conditional to an international agreement,” said Yamagishi. “It will not only jeopardize the credibility of the Japanese target internationally but will also slow down domestic actions.” “The current language in the bill could be interpreted as Japan doing nothing to reduce emissions if there is no comprehensive international agreement.” Japan's pledge to cut greenhouse-gas emissions to 25 per cent below 1990 levels by 2020 is one of the most ambitious in the world. Japanese civil society groups are also not wishing to see the climate bill being used as a vehicle for an expansion of nuclear power plants. They would also like to see feed-tariffs for renewable energy that require power companies to buy all the energy produced from all kinds of sustainable renewable energies and not, as proposed, just surplus power from domestic solar installations. www.panda.org/media for latest news and media resources www.wwf.or.jp/activity/climate

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後10日！ X-TREME HARD - TOKYO TERROR!!!

2010年初のX-TREME HAAAAAAAAAAAARD！！ 今回は毎回凶悪なSPEED COREを発信しつつ、何かとエクハドクルーとも関わりの深いカナダのレーベル『Canadian Speedcore Resistance(CSR)』のボス DJ PLAGUEが初来日！ 数々の未発表超極悪トラックを引っさげX-TREME HARDに殴り込みをかける！対する日本勢は、待望の2ndアルバムをリリースするRoughSketchが北の地・北海道から来襲！ そしてなんと！インドネシアからSTDKサウンド全開で巷を騒がせているFUNKY KOTAの伝道師DJ JET BARONGがメインフロア初登場など、今回も見所盛り沢山！！ この日しか見られない奇跡の組み合わせ！決定的瞬間を見逃すな！ X-TREME HARD - TOKYO TERROR!!! -DJ PLAGUE JAPAN TOUR- 2010/03/20(土) @ 渋谷DESEO START：23:00 ENTRANCE：3000YEN/1D // ADV:2500YEN/1D 前売特典 : XH特製ステッカーセット(8種) ■X-TREME AREA SPECIAL GUEST DJ PLAGUE (C.S.R.) DJs DJ CHUCKY (GUHROOVY) DJ DEPATH&M-Project (TERRAFORM MUSIC) DJ JET BARONG (STDK) LIVE PA DJ SHARPNEL (SHARPNEL SOUND) m1dy (MADDEST CHICK’NDOM) AKIRADEATH (MADDEST CHICK’NDOM) DJ SHIMAMURA (DYNASTY RECORDS) RoughSketch (NOTEBOOK/SHC) MCs KONNY MC (M.H.C.) MC RALLY（DYNASTY RECORDS/Root 138） 楽天斎 (SHC/実験教室) ■BREAK AREA DJ: Da/Le (AVSS) 電撃姫 (Scouse!/Scouse!TOKYO) DJ KISSes (赤線企画) DJ MCT (TOPTEN DJ TEAM) 204（ECLIPSE / ニワシイハシ 天音 （Rolling Contact） LIVE PA MUZIK SERVANT（BL-Records/音召缶) OZIGIRI (MOB SQUAD TOKYO) ■PHOTO WORKS kent-law 菊☆正宗 X-TREME HARD公式WEB http://c.mixi.jp/xh

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2010 Best Theme Park Attraction nominee: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios

By Robert Niles: Theme Park Insider readers have voted The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios into the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament as the second seed in the Best Themed Ride bracket. Tower of Terror opened in 1994 and won the inaugural Best Ride in America Tournament in 2008. It continues Disney's tradition of reimagining traditional amusement park ride systems as the basis for an immersive storytelling experience. (Other versions, with a different ride system, stand at Disney's California Adventure, Walt Disney Studios Park in Paris and Tokyo DisneySea. Only the California version includes the Twilight Zone theme, however.) On Tower of Terror, a simple drop ride becomes the richly detailed Hollywood Tower Hotel, where on October 31, 1939, a bolt of lightning transported a wing of the hotel into The Twilight Zone. (And by "Twilight Zone," we mean the classic 1960s television series, and not the realm of asexual teenage vampires.) In a trick of creative video editing, Twilight Zone host Rod Serling sets up the story for us in the hotel's library, before we head into the hotel's boiler room, where we'll board the elevators that will take us to the site of the lightning strike... and perhaps, into The Twilight Zone itself. The ride features multiple series of drops from the top, rewarding frequent riders with a fresh experience each time. With a variety of theatrical effects, copious visual references to various Twilight Zone episodes, and mix of light and dark drops, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror elevates (sorry, terrible pun, but I just couldn't resist) the simple amusement park drop ride into a true narrative experience. That's why Tower of Terror is widely considered one of the best theme park attractions in the country. But is it the best? Tell us your thoughts about Tower of Terror, in the comments.

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2010 Best Theme Park Attraction nominee: Mickey's PhilharMagic at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom

By Robert Niles: Theme Park Insider readers have voted Mickey's PhilharMagic at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom into the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament as the top seed in the Best Movie or Animated Show bracket. Even though the title is "Mickey's" PhilharMagic, Donald Duck's the star of this 12-minute 3-D musical review, which plays in the Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland Theater. As the show begins, Donald's unpacking the instruments for Mickey's orchestra when he decides to try on the Big Cheese's famous sorcerer's hat from Fantasia. And then, everyone say it with me now, things go horribly wrong. The instruments spring to life, Donald loses control and soon we're flying through a musical medley of famous songs and scenes from top Disney animated films. Eventually, of course, Mickey returns to retrieve his hat and save the day. And Donald? Well, he gets his with a tuba blast into the theater's back wall. Directed by "Oliver and Company" and "The Prince and the Pauper" director George Scribner, Mickey's PhilharMagic debuted in 2003. The portrayed for the first time on screen computer-animated versions of many Disney characters. Disney's Imagineers used archival recordings for much of the dialogue in the film, with character's original voice actors returning to supply much of the remaining dialogue. Mickey's PhilharMagic also plays at Hong Kong Disneyland, with plans for the show to arrive in Tokyo Disneyland next year. Rumors are flying that once Captain EO finishes its run at Disneyland that the show might finally make its way to California, too. So... is Mickey's PhilarMagic the best theme park movie in America? We'll soon find out. Voting begins in the 2010 Best Theme Park Attraction Tournament one week from today.

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3rd Tokyo airport opens to fanfare and criticism (AP)

AP - Tokyo's third international airport opened Thursday with festivity — and heavy criticism that it is a wasteful project likely to serve just a fraction of the passengers forecast.

View original story : japon+tokyo Feed : Yahoo! News: Travel News - AP

Naoki Kawahara and Alissa joined Running in Tokyo/Japan - Marathon/Clubs/Track Races

Naoki Kawahara and Alissa joined Running in Tokyo/Japan - Marathon/Clubs/Track Races

View original story : japon+tokyo Feed : Latest Activity on Running in Tokyo/Japan - Marathon/Clubs/Track Races

Japan coastguard inspects whaler with arrested activist

TOKYO (AFP) - The Japan Coast Guard inspected a Japanese whaling ship Saturday with a New Zealand anti-whaling activist who is under arrest for trespassing on the vessel in the Antarctic Ocean last month.

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Sea Shepherd Captain Peter Bethune Takes on Japan

The Japanese whaling ship Shonan Maru 2 arrived in Tokyo today with the first New Zealand prisoner of war to be transported to Japan as a political prisoner since World War II. Submitted by Shaktiva Irahs to Environment | Note-it! | Add a Comment

View original story : japon+tokyo Feed : Care2 News Network - Newly Submitted

NZ activist arrested in Tokyo - report

A New Zealand anti-whaling activist has been arrested after the Japanese whaling ship he boarded in February docked in Tokyo today.Peter Bethune, of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, climbed aboard the Shonan Maru II with...

View original story : japon+tokyo Feed : nzherald.co.nz - National

BD-1 Owners event - Tokyo (March 21)

I just noticed there is a major BD-1 owners event scheduled for Mar 21, 10-4pm at the Meiji Jingo Cycloop - Tokyo (Location info: http://cycloop.jp/ - near

View original story : japon+tokyo Feed : birdybike at Yahoo! Groups