The world’s fifth largest emitter of greenhouse gases,Japan,has 
pledged to cut its emissions by a quarter by 2020. To reach that goal,various sectors of Japanese society,from local governments to corporate giants and the general public,are going green
SIX simple acts – that is all you need to do daily to shrink your carbon footprint. This simple message is driving the Japanese Government’s campaign to reduce the carbon load of its 127 million people.
And the six actions? They are things which people can easily adopt in their daily lives:cut air-conditioner usage,drive less,avoid plastic bags,conserve water,recycle,and turn off power switches.
“The public tends to think that efforts in carbon dioxide (CO2) reduction are difficult and complex,and will require use of nuclear and solar energy and factories to reduce emissions,” explains Shigeru Komori,director of the lifestyle policy office in the environment ministry.
“In our campaign,we try to show that everyone uses lighting,computers,air-conditioner and heating daily,and all these contribute to energy consumption. So it is important for each person to bear some responsibility to reduce emissions.”
In fact,latest figures show the man in the street to be a culprit in the climate fiasco. While carbon emissions of industries have seen little growth – partly because Japan is facing its worst recession in decades – those of households and offices have ballooned drastically.
Energy-saving appliances can go a long way in reducing carbon intensity as indicated in a breakdown of the Japanese household’s power consumption – the main culprit is air-conditioner (25.2%),followed by refrigerator (16.1%) and lighting (16.1%).
An energy-saving washing machine,for instance,halves water use simply by tilting its drum. The toilet bowl and bathtub,being made of stain-resistant material,require fewer clean-ups and are easier to clean,thereby saving water.
Other high-tech touches help shrink the house’s carbon footprint:sensors that detect human presence,temperature and lighting,will automatically turn the air-conditioner on or off,and brighten or dim the lights.
Plant-covered walls and roofs block sunlight and cut down heat,thereby cutting down the need for air-conditioning. And,with the press of a switch,glass doors will turn opaque to block out the sun – so curtains are optional!
