Blog 4

Japan’s main focus towards the sustainable goal of reducing consumption reduction has been heavily practicing recycling. That way “the consumption of natural resources will be restrained and the environmental load will be reduced as far as possible.” (United Nations 2019) Some other advancements they have made towards this goal is producing effective waste generators and extend producer responsibility for policy measures.

Some newer and more progressive advancements towards this goal would be their integrated efforts to create a low-carbon society or a natural symbiosis society, promotion of the formation of regional recycling-based zones, and many others. Some difficulties they are faced with are policy cooperation and checking up or promoting the plan while grasping the trend of each indicator. After the Japanese government calculated the resulting reduction in CO2 gases came out to be about 125,000 tons. There is proof that the efforts the world are putting forth are working. CO2 emissions are detrimental to the world and are a contributor to climate change. (United Nations 2019)

One problem that Japan has been further investigating was how to replace raw materials for when they inevitably run out. Because of this they are trying to produce innovative techniques to prevent any further damage. Most companies are making efforts to have their products come in recyclable materials. Recycling is the main focus of Japan’s efforts ranging from recycling old vehicles, products, and waste. They have also made an effort to education citizens of environmental protection and how to reduce waste produced. (United Nations 2019)

Since Japan’s population is highly concentrated, this means that their consumption is high. Considering the small surface area of Japan, there is likely more pollution and CO2 emissions, so it’s hopeful seeing the measures Japan is making towards this goal. As it is for most highly populated areas, consumption reduction is an issue Japan is making efforts to minimize. Roughly 92 percent of the population is urban because of its heavily concentrated population. Japan’s population is equivalent to 1.62 percent of the total world population. (Japan Population (LIVE). 2020) Because of Japan’s incentives for a low carbon society, there has been a global impact on other countries.

Japan Population (LIVE). (2020). Retrieved from https://www.worldometers.info/world-population/japan-population/

United Nations. (2019). The Ten Year Framework of Programs on Sustainable Consumption and Reduction Patterns. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_pdfs/NationalReports/japan/scp.pdf

Blog 3

Canada’s efforts to limiting the publics consumption and reduction has been making steady progress for the economy and society. Their efforts so far consist of including labelling programs, consumer education and awareness, sustainable production tools such as lean manufacturing, design for environment, extended producer responsibility, and technology road maps, sustainable agricultural production, green buildings, and sustainable communities. It is also said that the Canadian government is active in promoting sustainable tourism, distribution and retailing practices. (United Nations 2019)

These efforts are all steps in a “greener” direction for the country. With their being consumer and producer education, they can come up with healthier ways of production that won’t be as harmful to the environment or how to properly dispose of what they buy. As for the sustainable tourism, the Canadian government has partnered with the Tourism Industry Association of Canada in hopes of “developing a toolkit for tourism operators… which provides practical tips and guidance to help the tourism industry adopt sustainable practices.” (United Nations 2019)

According to Food Secure Canada (FSC), as of last year, the government has made further efforts to produce food that is grown and produced sustainably. They have also studied the trends of how people who have lower incomes buy their food, and made further efforts to increase the access of these foods for this particular population. (FSC 2019)

Some partnerships the Canadian government has made is the Computers for Schools program partnering with the industrial side of Canada in which computers can be recycled and donated to others for use. This decreases the amount of e-waste which is extremely harmful when they make it to the landfills as they can contaminate the soil as they decompose. As of 2002, there has been over 53 million pounds of e-waste that have been diverted from landfills because of this program. (United Nations 2019)

In recent years, Canada has started enforcing stricter policies, laws and frameworks to protect the environment and support sustainable development. They will be held accountable by their partnerships they have made and new eco-efficient programs along with many more.

With the enactment of these incentives and laws, there will hopefully be a decline in harmful environmental factors thusly minimizing the problems of climate change. Since Canada is a high-income country, sustainability in consumption and production is likely to be a more significant problem opposed to smaller countries who don’t produce as much.

FSC. (2019, September 24). [Research Report] Sustainable Consumption for All: Improving the accessibility of sustainably-produced foods in Canada. Retrieved from https://foodsecurecanada.org/sustainable-consumption-for-all

United Nations. (2019). Canada National Reporting to CSD- 18/19 Thematic Profile: Sustainable Consumption and Production. Retrieved from https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/content/documents/dsd/dsd_aofw_ni/ni_pdfs/NationalReports/canada/SCP.pdf