A decade ago, recognizing that commercial and industrial buildings—including its iconic high-rise towers—produced almost half of the city’s total carbon emissions, Tokyo started the world’s first urban carbon cap-and-trade initiative. The mandatory program aims to reduce CO2 emissions by 30 percent and energy consumption by 38 percent, compared to 2000 levels, in 1,400 of the city’s largest carbon emitters. Although the facilities covered by the program represent just 2 percent of the total number of Tokyo’s commercial buildings, they account for nearly 19 percent of emissions, making the policy “effective and powerful,” says Satoshi Chida, Tokyo Cap-and-Trade Program (TCaTP) director, and a critical element in the city’s plan for achieving zero emissions by 2050.
Implemented in five-year phases, the TCaTP places increasingly stringent limits on emissions, while also creating a framework for trading carbon credits. Facilities with reductions in excess of the required caps receive credits, which can be banked for future use or sold to facilities with deficient reductions. To further incentivize high-performance building design, Tokyo annually recognizes “top level” and “near top level” facilities and awards them, in recognition of their early actions, a relaxation of the caps in future phases.
You have 0 complimentary articles remaining.
Unlimited access + premium benefits for as low as $1.99/month.