The Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced its own Climate Change Strategy in June 2007. It includes basic policies for a "10-Year Project for Carbon-Minus Tokyo," part of its 10-year plan, dubbed "Tokyo's Big Change," which was announced in December 2006. Tokyo says that it is quicker than the national government to propose such innovative measures, putting it in the lead in climate change countermeasures in Japan.

The strategy consists of the following five policies:
1. Vigorously promote CO2 reductions in the business sector by capping CO2 emissions from large emitters and requesting financial institutions to expand their offerings of environmental investments and loans.
2. Step up efforts for the reduction of CO2 emissions from households by implementing a campaign to eliminate incandescent lights and encouraging photovoltaic power generation by households.
3. Promote a "no-carbon" style of urban planning by applying the world's strictest energy-efficiency standards to all city-owned buildings.
4. Accelerate the reduction of CO2 emissions from automobiles by establishing preferential regulations for fuel-efficient automobiles, and by a project to facilitate use of environmentally-friendly automobile fuel.
5. Create Tokyo's own programs to reduce CO2 emissions by supporting efforts of smaller companies and households, and by introducing a taxation system that promotes energy conservation.

Tokyo sees the next three to four years as the start of a transition period toward a low-carbon society, and has committed itself to focus on implementing various measures strategically during this period. It plans to organize stakeholder meetings with citizens, non-profit organizations and businesses in order to have active discussions about the measures proposed in the strategy.


http://www2.kankyo.metro.tokyo.jp/kikaku/kikouhendouhousin/data/ClimateChangeStrategyPress.pdf

Posted: 2007/08/29 09:23:44 AM
Japanese version

TAG Global warming , Local government