Global Climate Change and its likely affect on Japan

In looking at the island nation of Japan, global climate change and a warming of the planet holds the possibility of catastrophic effect. According to the APEC Center for Environmental Technology based in Osaka City, a sea level rise of 50cm would result in the disappearance of 70% of the sandy beaches in Japan. A rise of 1 meter would result in a loss of 90% of sandy beaches in Japan and 100% of the beaches in Osaka. People living in the lowlands of Japan would likely lose their homes and be forced to relocate to higher ground.[i]

In addition, shifts in the climate will likely affect the agricultural output of certain zones. In Japan climate change could impact rice production by as much as 40% according to the 2007 IPPC report as reported by the Japan Times.[ii] This is likely due to the decline in potentially good agricultural land. Japan also relies heavily on food imports to sustain its population’s needs and similar declines in food yield in China and Australia will likely affect its ability to sustain. The recent droughts occurring in Australia for example created an increase in imported food costs for Japan.

For these reasons and for others which have not yet been discussed it can be assumed that the Japanese culture would look highly upon the notion of sustainable living. The Japanese would have much to lose if sea levels began to rise. And certainly even more to lose if the rise begins earlier than anticipated as recently reported by the journal Science. They reported that there is a possibility of a sea level rise of 21 feet in certain parts of the world.[iii]

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[i] APEC Virtual Center for Environmental Technology Exchange. “What Results from Global Warming?” <http://www.epcc.pref.osaka.jp/apec/eng/earth/global_warming/dounaru.html>

[ii] Japan Times. “Climate Change Could Decrease Rice Yields by as much as 40%.” <http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20070920a9.html>

[iii] Oregon State University. “Sea Level Rise Could be Worse than Anticipated” <http://oregonstate.edu/dept/ncs/newsarch/2009/Feb09/icesheet.html>

Japanese Sustainability

I will be posting a research paper I wrote for my class trip to Japan. It's on sustainability. Here is the abstract:

This paper seeks to understand the role that sustainability plays in the Japanese culture and the affects that climate change has had on Japan’s awareness of sustainable living.

I will start with chapter 1 today! Enjoy!

Defining “Sustainability”

Sustainability is often defined as the ability to maintain balance. The most often used forms of looking at sustainability are environmental and business. In business, sustainability is often looked at as a way for a firm to survive without undertaking massive debt, layoffs or undergoing shifts in strategy in inopportune times. Often sustainable business models are sought after as one of the more successful ways to run a business over a long period of time.

In terms of environmental sustainability, the form is similar but the focus moves toward the impact an individual, organization or business has on its environment. The Regional Ecosystem Office defines sustainability as,”The ability of an ecosystem to maintain ecological processes and functions, biological diversity, and productivity over time.” [i]

Sustainability has taken on many variations over the past ten years as humans begin to awaken to the likely fact that we are affecting our planet’s ecosystem negatively. The International Panel of Climate Change has written numerous reports on the likely causes of climate change and have found scientific results that point to an accelerated warming of the atmosphere through human usage of fossil fuels. From a recently released report to policy makers, the IPCC offers this scientifically proven fact; “Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the warmest years in the instrumental record of global surface temperature (since 1850).”[ii] Reports like the IPCC and also the recent energy price shock experience across the globe in the summer of 2008 have put efforts to reduce our consumption of fossil fuels the forefront.

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[i] Regional Ecosystem Office (U.S), Definition of Ecological Sustainability. <http://www.reo.gov/general/definitions_r-s.htm#S>

[ii] International Panel for Climate Change. AR4 Synthesis Report, “Summary for Policy Makers.” <http://www.ipcc.ch/index.htm>

Japan is full of Sustainable Practices

I have found so much in Japan revolving around efficiency, sustainability and just being respectful of one another, it's a beautiful thing.

I hope to post more tomorrow, stay tuned!!

Went to Shabuyah Last Night

Shabuyah is like the trendiest area for young people on Tokyo...all the cools kids hang out there...

I have found that Japan is an amazing place to live, eat, shop and have fun...I can't wait to come back again.

We leave Tokyo today for Kyoto...Kyoto is going to be more of an old time Japanese experience.  Most Japanese I have spoke to have told me it is their favorite place to go.

Here are the pics from the trip so far...

Went to Akihabra today...

Akihabra is this giant electronic mecca, you can scoop up any gadget that you'd find anywhere else in the world here, at a discount.  Animation is popular and so is the many cartoon characters. 

We also saw the Imperial Palace and participated in the Three Shrine Parade....wild

I ate a pork/eggplant dish and then later had a beef bowl with soup....it's now time to crash, I'm exhausted!

We also saw the Imperial Palace which was quite the site...

I'm in Tokyo!

Hello World, I am in Tokyo - staying at the Presso Inn Kayabacho.  It's Sunday morning, about 8:30 am.  We are headed into the city today for the Sanja Matsuri Festival, it should be a fun day...it's raining a bit but I picked up a cheap umbrella for 700 yen or 7 dollars.

Some interesting findings so far...

*Tokyo is VERY clean

*They have a recycling program and bins on every street corner

*It's a very pedestrian friendly city and great for riding your bike. Oddly enough most bikes are kept outside on stands but are not locked up!

Enjoy your evening Western World!

Joe

In the Minneapolis Airport

Katie went to school in Minnesota and this is the first time I've been up here....it does look beautiful outside (from the airport windows) haha....

We are about to board in 1.5 hrs, so....I'm getting ready!  

I have been reading a book by the name of Eco Barons, it's about people who are leading the way in the Green Revolution.....visionaries of sort.  It's my dream to be profiled in a book like this someday, I know Katie and I talk often about playing a role in the future of cleaning up this planet and we certainly want our kids to have a good healthy Earth to live on.

So, for the next 12 hrs I will be in the air, flying over the Pacific Ocean.  Japan is 13 hrs ahead of Eastern Central Time, 12 hrs ahead of Central....so when it's 10pm there it'll be 9am on the east coast.  

Stay tuned, cool posts to come!

~joe