Citizens Concerned as Tokyo Heats Up

More than 90 percent of Tokyo residents who answered a survey felt threatened by rising temperatures in their city, were concerned about global warming, and thought about its causes. These facts were revealed by a survey conducted by the Tokyo metropolitan government in February 2003. The survey covered 500 adults in Tokyo, of whom 96.2 percent responded.

Together with the impact of global warming, the "heat island" effect (warming of urban areas due to heat storage in manmade structures) has raised the average temperature in Tokyo by as much as three degrees Celsius over the past century. The metropolitan government conducted the public opinion survey, aware of the necessity of taking more effective measures to address these problems.

The results showed that 95.4 percent of respondents were interested in the global warming issue. Among age groups, people in their sixties expressed the strongest concerns, followed by those in their thirties. On the other hand, students were more interested in the issue than any other occupational group.

In answering the question of what type of measures will be necessary against further temperature increases, some 60 percent agreed that "society as a whole needs to recognize the warming trend." At the same time, more than 40 percent supported the idea that "the government needs to establish social and economic systems that are environmentally friendly."

Regarding another question on their daily efforts to fight the rising temperature, 96.3 percent of respondents indicated their willingness to cooperate, including those who would accept some inconvenience if necessary, and those who would do as much as they can. More people had been making an effort to turn off unneeded air conditioning and heating equipment, to switch off lights when not needed, and to accept lower room temperatures in the winter and higher in the summer.

Although the metropolitan government has been running an energy conservation campaign, nearly 80 percent of the respondents were not aware of it. Citizens are calling on the government to raise public awareness and send out the needed information effectively, as well as to introduce environmental taxes, tax breaks, and other specific measures.



Posted: 2003/05/20 10:44:07 AM
Japanese version