Japan, eight others get fossil award over leaders skipping climate talks

Antalya, Turkey – An international nongovernment environmental group on Tuesday gave Japan and eight other countries its Fossil of the Day award for inadequate climate action, citing their leaders’ failure to attend the ongoing U.N. climate talks in Turkey.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is absent from the two-day leaders’ meeting of the climate talks through Thursday for scheduling reasons, marking the third straight year that a Japanese prime minister has skipped the summit.

From the Group of Seven countries, British Prime Minister Andy Burnham is the only leader expected to attend the summit.

The Climate Action Network said that the absence of the leaders from the meeting could delay the progress of negotiations and raise concerns that climate change measures would be put on the back burner.

The fossil award will be presented daily until the conference ends on Nov. 20.