Kyoto University Introduces Environmental Levy to Cut CO2 Emissions

Kyoto University announced in January 2008 that it has taken an initiative to launch a system, the "Kyoto University Environmental Levy," which could be considered a campus-based environmental tax. The university plans to impose levies on each unit and division according to their consumption of electricity, city gas and water, and use the funds collected for environmental measures such as facility repair.

Carbon dioxide emissions by the university have increased by about 90 percent since 1990, with continuous annual increases of 3 percent on average for the last five years. Considering this situation, the system introduced has been discussed as a way to generate an incentive for saving energy by imposing levies while also securing extra financial resources to reinvest in an energy conservation plan. Levies are to be allocated in Kyoto University's six main campuses, and will extend to 99 percent of staff members, 90 percent of building floor area, 99 percent of energy use and 99 percent of carbon dioxide emissions.

The system is to be implemented for five years starting in fiscal 2008. An interim assessment is to be conducted after the first three years to see if the system will be continuously implemented after fiscal 2011.

http://www.kyoto-u.ac.jp/en

Posted: 2008/05/30 11:16:30 PM