It has been about three months since the catastrophic wildfires broke out on January 7, 2025, devastating the US city of Los Angeles. The fires destroyed thousands of homes and displaced their residents. These wildfires also highlighted the many facets of climate migration: the urgency of the climate crisis, manifold reasons why people move, and the crucial role of cities, not just as sites of climate impacts but also as actors in addressing climate migration. Amid a rather abstract discussion about climate migrants, cities offer the chance to address the needs of people on the move because of the climate crisis more substantially and practically.
Author: Fumie Nakamura
Fumie Nakamura ist Researcher im Programmbereich Internationale Sicherheit am PRIF und Doktorandin an der Goethe-Universität Frankfurt. Ihr derzeitiger Forschungsschwerpunkt liegt auf Städten als Global-Governance-Akteure sowie auf deren Beitrag zu internationalen Normen und Institutionen. // Fumie Nakamura is a Researcher at PRIF's International Security Research Department and a Doctoral Candidate at Goethe University Frankfurt. Her current research focuses on cities as global governance actors and their contribution to international norms and institutions.
Periphery as the New Center? Japan’s Renewable Energy Market and Policy Landscape
The Japanese government is currently preparing its 7th Strategic Energy Plan and released its draft plan for public comments in December last year. Reflecting on the war in Ukraine and the growing tension in the Middle East, from which Japan imports the majority of its crude oil, the draft plan emphasizes the importance of a stable energy supply and of close cooperation with industries to achieve decarbonization and energy transition. As the draft plan also states, renewable energy plays a key role in advancing Japan’s green transition. However, the path to replacing fossil fuels with renewable energy does not look so straightforward.
