Health and Global Policy Institution (HGPI) Planetary Health Project has submitted public comments on the ‘Seventh Strategic Energy Plan (Draft)’ by the General Policy Division, Commissioner’s Secretariat of the Agency for Natural Resources and Energy. (The call for public comments is now closed.)

The Strategic Energy Plan is formulated by the government based on the Basic Act on Energy Policy to provide the fundamental direction of energy policy. The Sixth Strategic Energy Plan was approved by the Cabinet in October 2021. The Seventh Energy Basic Plan (draft) aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and transition to a more resilient energy system in response to increasing uncertainties in fossil fuel procurement, including inflation and electricity supply-demand tensions in the energy sector in recent years. To achieve this, it includes structural reforms in energy supply and demand to promote investment in power sources to advance decarbonization and achieve carbon neutrality.

In recent years, there has been a growing call among healthcare professionals to move away from fossil fuels. Ahead of the 29th Conference of the Parties (COP29) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in 2024, the World Health Organization (WHO) released the “COP29 Special Report on Climate Change and Health.” This report emphasizes that “our health is not negotiable” and underscores the importance of ending dependence on fossil fuels while ensuring people-centered adaptation and resilience.

In addition, there have been strong calls for a transition away from fossil fuels from a health perspective, including those endorsed by HGPI. These include the policy brief “A COP29 for People and Planet: Recommendations from the international health and climate community,” led by the Global Climate and Health Alliance (GCHA), and the letter in support of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty, “Health professionals call for Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty to protect lives of current and future generations.“

In light of the above, HGPI has submitted a public comment that includes the following key points:

Key points of the public comment

• Describe direct and indirect health impacts of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and pollution from energy sources
• Increase the share of renewable energy to achieve the 1.5°C target
• Integrate the healthcare sector into the Strategic Energy Plan

Planetary Health Project also published recommendations for NDCs in December 2024: ‘Integrating Climate and Health for a Sustainable Society: Incorporating a Planetary Health Perspective into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs)’.

For more information on this public comment, please click here (only available in Japanese).