Coal plants generate a lot of carbon, which contributes to global warming. Japan has pledged to hedge construction of new coal-burning plants, but they still has 150 coal power stations.
It’s a giant Pikachu invasion! Or at least it was recently in England. A pack of activists, all dressed as Pikachu, paraded down a street in England, demanding that Japan stop using coal. The Pokémon characters appeared just down the street from the G7 Summit, taking place in the English resort town of Carbis Bay.
One protester explained their purpose, saying, “Our message to Japan is that if it continues to burn coal, it will be an international pariah, it will make the future more dangerous for its citizens, it's going to make a future more dangerous for the world. Japan has a massive opportunity at the G7 to step up, stop burning coal and lead the world to a better future.”
The G7 meetings allow the member nations — France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Germany, Japan, the U.S. and Canada — to discuss various issues and make agreements in person. One of the chief problems on the table is climate change and how to reduce carbon emissions.
Coal plants generate a lot of carbon, which contributes to global warming. And although Japan has pledged to hedge construction of new coal-burning plants, the county still has 150 coal power stations.
The Pikachu activists from the group No Coal Japan want the country to reduce its reliance on coal even more. And how better to do that than by dressing like one of Japan’s most famous cultural exports: Pikachu.
One person said the Pikachu outfit wasn’t exactly comfortable. But maybe that’s the point. "It actually feels as if I'm in a globally warmed world," the protester said. "I feel in the last 10 minutes I have actually expanded and heated by about 10 degrees, so it's quite a useful example of how dangerous a warming planet is going to be."
The G7 Summit continues through the weekend.
