Japanese City Switches Focus from Global Warming to 'Global Heating' to Show Urgency

The city of Kawaguchi, in Japan's Saitama Prefecture, declared on April 1, 2009, that it has officially started using the term "global heating" instead of "global warming." This was decided because the city's administration believes the term global warming gives an impression of mild climate change. This change aims to appropriately reflect the critical situation of the natural environment currently facing the world.

The mayor of Kawaguchi met Japan's environment minister on January 23, 2009, and proposed that the nation starts referring to ongoing global climate change as global heating, in order to communicate more of a sense of urgency among the public. In an organizational change for fiscal 2009, the city established a new department in its environment division to promote further global heating measures and implement concrete actions.

During this initial year of its new initiative, the city aims to take measures such as cutting the number of cars on the road by introducing a car-sharing system, dealing with waste more effectively, reducing the amount of garbage generated, and promoting urban greening.

Kawaguchi City official website
http://www.city.kawaguchi.lg.jp/guide/e/

Posted: 2009/05/27 06:00:15 AM