Second 'Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award' Call for Entries Begins Today - Seeking Excellent Decarbonization Initiatives from Across Japan that Create Healthy, Comfortable, and Safe Communities

The 'Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award Executive Committee,' formed by three environmental organizations and think tanks (Secretariat: International Environmental NGO Greenpeace Japan) (Note 1), announced today, April 1, the start of applications for the second 'Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award.' We are widely seeking entries from local governments nationwide and nominations from citizens and organizations.

The award aims to recognize municipalities that are not merely achieving numerical targets such as CO2 emission reductions, but are also implementing excellent measures for regional decarbonization and the health, comfort, and safety of their residents, thereby encouraging their spread to other municipalities. In the first award, diverse challenges were recognized, ranging from recovery projects based on decarbonization after disasters to the mandatory installation of solar panels in new homes in large cities, leveraging regional characteristics (Note 2). For the second award, we look forward to your applications and nominations to further expand this movement.

**<Overview of the Second 'Carbon Zero Local Award' Call for Entries>**

Application Period: April 1 (Wednesday) to July 31 (Friday), 2026

Eligible Applicants: Municipalities and prefectures within Japan

Application Method: Self-nomination (applications from local governments) and third-party nomination (recommendations from citizens/organizations)

Application Form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdBQRv5ZtvRa2yCjtTCn7Xv-iXDx1VaRIt0Hpq404O3_ak9-A/viewform

Organizers: Citizens' Choice! Carbon Zero Local Award Executive Committee (Greenpeace Japan, Institute for Sustainable Energy Policies, POW JAPAN)

**<Evaluation Criteria>**

1. **Resolution of Regional Issues:** Does it structurally resolve regional issues (e.g., declining birthrate and aging population, population outflow, abandoned farmland, vacant homes, industrial/regional independence, transportation, finance, tourism, disaster prevention)?

2. **Improvement of Residents' Quality of Life:** Does it improve residents' quality of life, such as health and welfare, safety and security, comfort and convenience, and alleviation of anxiety during disasters?

3. **Regional Revitalization:** Does it prevent the outflow of energy costs, which amount to 20-30 trillion yen across Japan, to outside the region, recirculate them within the region, and foster diverse actors supporting the regional economy?

4. **Decarbonization:** Are effective environmental load reduction measures implemented to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions and achieve carbon neutrality?

5. **Model Replicability:** Are the system design, methods, and breakthrough processes for realization easily adoptable by other municipalities and financially sustainable?