Japan starts new climate change campaign

Japan has launched a nationwide campaign to address climate change, three years after its energy conservation efforts were hit by the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.

Japan reached its target of reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from 2005 to 2009 from the 1990 level by six per cent and the country’s next target was to cut CO2 emission by 25 per cent by 2020.

The Fukushima disaster in 2011 put a halt to crucial power generation though and the new target was reassessed last year to around 20 per cent..

Shunichi Samura, chairman of Japan Department Store Association, said: “We had a disaster in 2011. At that time, use of power became such a problem our association had to urgently take measures. We started by changing our lights to LED. We invested a lot on that…The will to reduce power use was so strong, during the next three years it was reduced by nearly 20 per cent.”

Environment Minister Nobuteru Ishihara (pictured right) said: “The name of our new campaign is ‘Fun to Share’. The round blue shape in the logo is the Earth. The Earth is what supports our campaign. It represents our determination to consider the Earth with tremendous concern.”

And the very first voice of support for the new campaign came from outer space.

Koichi Wakata, commander of the International Space Station, said: “I’m now 440 kilometres above the Earth at the International Space Station. The Earth floating in the darkness of space is really beautiful. But the Earth is facing a big issue of climate change. I, Koichi Wakata, astronaut of JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency), will join in the climate change campaign, ‘Fun to Share’.”

Celebrities such as singers, actresses and athletes have also pledged to contribute to the new climate change campaign, as did representatives of various industries.

Japan’s renewed drive to fight climate change coincides with the Inter-govermental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) meeting in the Japanese port city of Yokohama.