On 12 December, the Paris Agreement for climate will be five years old. Five years during which national and local governments, businesses and citizens accelerated their efforts to address the global challenge of climate change.
On 16 September 2020, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen introduced the new ambition of the EU: a 55% reduction of its greenhouse gases emission by 2030, in order to put Europe on the pathway towards becoming in 2050 the first climate-neutral continent.
On 26 October, Prime Minister of Japan Yoshihide Suga announced that "Japan will strive to become a carbon neutral society, with zero net emissions, by 2050". The EU and Japan now share the same ambition for 2050.
In the meantime, the EU-Japan Centre for Industrial Cooperation accelerates its efforts to contribute to strengthening the links between the EU and Japan for the transition to a low-carbon society. In October, the Centre organized the first of a one-year cycle of events exploring the different topics related to climate cooperation.
During this webinar, representatives from public authorities and businesses from the EU and Japan highlighted how they are raising their ambition for climate in 2020, at the opening of a crucial decade for the fight against global climate change.
The next event, on 8 December in Kyoto, will link the legacy of the Kyoto Protocol to the achievements of the Paris Agreement.

The Centre also launched in October a website dedicated to EU-Japan climate cooperation. This platform will give access to information about the events, and will introduce success stories of European and Japanese stakeholders that are already working together on projects and activities contributing to reducing CO2 emissions.