Olivia S.: Sustainability

Sustainability in Japan

With 2015 smashing records for hottest year on record, and 2016 looking like it will do the same (the official results have not been released yet), oceans predicted to be fishless by 2050, and an island of floating garbage twice the size of Texas in the middle of the Pacific, countries around the planet are making sustainability a priority. Meetings and summits between countries' leaders around the world focus on strategies to reduce waste and emissions, but still, some countries are doing better than others at it. Japan is one of those countries that is doing pretty well in the area of sustainability, especially for a vibrant, modern, consumer-based society that produces many of the worlds electronics and other products. It accounts for only 4% of global CO2 emissions, compared to the United States' massive 16%.

  

"Global Greenhouse Gas Emissions Data." EPA. Environmental Protection Agency, 09 Aug. 2016. Web. 04 Jan. 2017. <https://www.epa.gov/ghgemissions/global-greenhouse-gas-emissions-data#Country>.  

  

So how does Japan remain a top producer while keeping emmission output relatively low? Well, heat and electricity production being the biggest offender in the global emissions pie, turning out lights and using less heat or AC could make a huge impact. My research has told me that in Japan, very few residential homes have central heating and cooling, and instead have individual heaters to only heat the space they are in. This saves a ton of energy (and money). Japan DOES use a great deal of electricity, though, but most of the lights used are energy saving bulbs or LED's, which have very little impact at all. Second, Japan has an exemplary recycling/trash system. Trash, compost, and recycling are all separated into separate bins to reduce waste. They have recycling, combustibles, compost, and regular trash, and this helpsto reduce waste in landfills, and the waste that ends up in the ocean in the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.

  

In addition to lesser use of energy, Japan has lots of preserved land/parks/gardens. Due to a high percentage of Shinto and Buddhism followers, there is lots of preserved land and sacred space in nature. Actually, 18.1% of total land in Japan is preserved.

Nikko National Park

Other than this very minimal knowledge and EPA stats, I have been unable to find much information on Japan's sustainability in general. Will report back when I experience it for myself.

IN JAPAN

Japan, wow. I write this as the trip nears its end, and I can say with confidence that it has been a life-changing adventure. Seeing firsthand the drastic differences in lifestyle across the planet and just across Japan, from Tokyo to Kamakura and Kyoto to Hakone, and the way people live wildly different lifestyles has been eye-opening. These different lifestyles all have varying impacts on the environment, but overall, my experience in Japan seems to have aligned mostly with what I've read about its sustainable practice. First of all, the fact about most private residences not having central heating is true. In the homestay and in some of the hostels, we only had room-specific heaters. It was pretty inconvenient, I'll admit, but they use so much less energy that it would make sense to be a little colder for a few minutes to save the environment. Also on electricity and heat production, energy efficient bulbs are EVERYWHERE. Every light and lamp seems to have the energy efficient lightbulbs instead of the still-common incandescent bulbs in the US.

Moving away from electricity and heat production, its no wonder that Japan manages to keep its air clean (at least in my experience. Most cars that I see are hybrids, but I mostly see bikes. Outside of a department store in Tokyo, I saw at least 50 bikes locked up and waiting for their riders to return, and bikes are obviously zero emission. But as Mr. Griswold once pointed out to my statistics class, the riders still need to consume additional food to power the bike, which still has an impact, and that's where Japan's (mostly) sustainable diet plays a part. At nice restaurants, one can find the main offenders on the methane and C02 emmissions, grilled over a charcoal flame - beef, pork, and other meats. But in the average Japanese person's daily diet, fish and vegetables make up the majority of the meals, even breakfast. Fish has an incredibly low impact compared to other animal products, and obviously vegetables are also very low on environmental impact.

Finally, what I said before about a lot of land being preserved for the sake of shrines and national parks is true. A lot of Japan's land is mountain highland and is uninhabitable for large populations, so most of the country's population is concentrated within a few large metropolitan areas, and that leaves the mountainous areas and sacred land open and untarnished by human buildings, except a Torii gate or two.

All in all, Japan is a pretty environmentally friendly country, even if it has a lot of industry. Japan is on the way to becoming a completely sustainable, zero net emission country.

Elga Reyes Friday 10 May 2013. “Japan Ranks as Top Asian Country in Global Sustainability Index.” Eco-Business, www.eco-business.com/news/japan-ranks-top-asian-country-global-sustainability-index/.  

Braun, David Maxwell. “Sustainable Cities: Challenges and Opportunities in Japan.” The Great Energy Challenge Blog, 13 Feb. 2015, energyblog.nationalgeographic.com/2014/10/21/sustainable-cities-challenges-and-opportunities-in-japan/.  

“The Japanese Way: No Insulation, No Central Heating.” Wide Island View, 12 Sept. 2010, www.wideislandview.com/2009/11/08/the-japanese-way-no-insulation-no-central-heating/.