ICLEI-Local Governments for Sustainability Japan Office started carrying out independent surveys of global warming prevention measures being taken by local governments in fiscal 2005; in 2006 it also started publishing a database of outstanding case studies. In August 2007, the database was updated with 52 new cases from the fiscal 2006 survey in addition to the 83 cases already listed.

In fiscal 2006, questionnaires were sent to 290 local governments; 469 cases were collected from the 129 local governments that replied (a 44 percent response rate). Among the initiatives taken by local governments, the most frequently reported involved awareness-raising (212 cases), followed by in-house measures for demonstrating leadership (134 cases), and enactment and implementation of measures to reduce carbon dioxide emissions (123 cases). The survey revealed that measures such as enactment of local ordinances and promotion of renewable energy use were effective in reducing CO2 emissions.

Out of the cases submitted this year, 44 were selected as outstanding, with each case having achieved emission reductions of over 230 tons-CO2 per year. One of the cases submitted by Kyoto City involved an ordinance to promote global warming measures that reduced emissions by 123,000 tons-CO2 per year. Eight cases were also selected as unique measures that could not be evaluated in terms of reduced greenhouse gas emissions alone, for example a case of rainwater use by Sumida Ward, Tokyo.

http://www.iclei.org/
- Kyoto City Enacts Japan's 1st Local Global Warming Countermeasure Ordinance (Related JFS article)
http://www.japanfs.org/db/951-e

Posted: 2007/12/19 02:10:46 PM
Japanese version

TAG Global warming , Local government , NGO/Citizen , System/Law