Japan gets environmental kudos from Greenpeace

Environmental advocacy group Greenpeace said Wednesday efforts by the Japanese government should serve as a model for the fight against climate change.

The group said Japan has been able to reshape its energy sector since the 2011 meltdown of the Fukushima Daicchi nuclear reactor. It's focused on energy efficiency, conservation and an increased use of cleaner-burning natural gas to help keep emissions in check.

"The country’s increase in CO2 emissions has been surprisingly moderate and notably smaller than might be expected from the sudden loss of the world’s third largest nuclear reactor fleet," Greenpeace said.

The report from Greenpeace follows the release of a stark report this week from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The IPCC report linked the burning of fossil fuels to climate change, which IPCC Chairman Rajendra Pachauri said would spare no part of the world.

Greenpeace said in a briefing published Wednesday emissions from Japan are relatively static when compared with the period before the Fukushima disaster.

The environmental group said it was concerned by Tokyo's efforts to reintroduce nuclear power to the energy sector, but said some of the renewable and clean-energy momentum is irreversible.