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
Hello Katie,
ReplyDeleteYou did a great job explaining the sustainable consumption and reduction patterns in Japan! I was not aware of this prominence of recycling and production of waste generators. These are two great ways Japan acknowledges their problem and can reach their sustainable development goal. It is nice to know that they have made a significant decrease in the amount of CO2 emissions, especially in a place with a high population that heavily relies on industrial work. Furthermore, the production and use of recyclable materials by different companies is a smart action that other countries should also keep in mind when combating this issue in their country. Despite Japan's dense urban population, they are making a great effort in emphasizing this issue and finding ways to fix it. Although it may take more time to reach their goal due to their high population, their response is an efficient way to acknowledge the importance of sustainable consumption and reduction.