[Indepth interview]Seeking big changes through small steps

Keiji Yamada

The entire world is under the influence of global warming, experts say, even the ice on the North and South Poles is starting to melt.
To make matters worse, thousands of people die across the world each year due to intense weather events, such as heat waves and heavy snow. In response, the Kyoto Protocol enacted by the United Nations has asked its member countries to cut carbon dioxide emission by up to 5 percent from this year to the end of 2012.
The Kyoto Protocol was agreed upon in 2005 by most of the world’s industrialized countries. The pact set ambitious goals for reducing greenhouse gases. It was signed by 37 developed nations, including Japan and Korea. However the United States, the world’s biggest carbon dioxide emitter, withdrew from the initiative.
Right now, the central Japanese government is doing its utmost to cut greenhouse gases through a variety of measures, while Japanese prefectures are working hard to cut down carbon dioxide emissions. Kyoto is one of those prefectures.
With many measures already being practiced by local citizens, Kyoto recently introduced a new type of movement called a CO2 Bank, which will be initiated in the fall. Under the CO2 Bank system, when the local citizens of Kyoto reduce their use of electricity and gas in an attempt to cut carbon dioxide emissions, they can report how much CO2 , or carbon dioxide, emissions they cut to the CO2 Bank.
The bank gives the citizens green credits, which can be used to purchase actual commodities such as food and clothes from retail stores that participate.
The CO2 Bank sells the right to emit carbon dioxide to companies. The companies which purchase the carbon dioxide emission rights can ease their mandatory quotas on decreasing greenhouse gas emissions. The CO2 Bank promotes three-way cooperation among households, stores and companies.
The JoongAng Ilbo met with Kyoto Governor Keiji Yamada, who is taking charge of the environmental protection in Kyoto.

Q. Kyoto is a local prefecture, not a central government. Is there any particular reason for you to roll up your sleeves to protect the environment?
A. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, and that city has a very symbolic meaning, but it is far from green. I would say the city is very gray. However, Kyoto is a very clean and environmentally friendly city, surrounded by thick green forests and river. That’s why I’ve been thinking about the environment very seriously for many years. The Kyoto Protocol was agreed here in 2005, and an anti-global warming conference was hosted here in 1997. It’s not a coincidence. The world has admitted that Kyoto is the global standard when it comes to reductions in greenhouse gas because we care a lot about the environment.
The central government decides a large amount of environmental policy. The Kyoto Protocol is a good example. However, although environmental problems are not a global issue, such problems are closely associated with our everyday lives. We need to look at the environmental problems from a global as well as regional point of view. We all need to work on this together, from company owners to housewives.

The CO2 Bank seems like a very novel idea.
People are well aware of the need to cut carbon dioxide emissions. However, they need very specific guidelines to put the idea into practice. When we made an ordinance about CO2 reductions, we needed very practical methods. If the individual starts to care about the environment, the change will help companies join the civic movement.

If you impose so many regulations when it comes to carbon dioxide emissions, companies could leave for other provinces to avoid such measures.
Surprisingly enough, local companies are receptive to our requests. The companies are well aware of the importance of the environmental protection movement. They know energy efficiency has a close link to management efficiency.
We’re reviewing ways to strengthen our support methods to ease the burden on companies. Sometime this year, Kyoto will launch a special committee to support companies so they can develop more advanced environmental technologies.
If things go right, Kyoto could be a center of the environmental industry, and companies could take advantage of that. The companies could develop their competitiveness and could go even further by capitalizing on new environmental businesses, called green businesses.
We have already dispatched a special committee to China. As we all know, China is suffering from all kinds of pollution. The committee is currently in talks with China to help the country get over its environmental problems.

Environmental policies require a great deal of expense. How do you cope with the financial burdens to make the world a better place?
It’s so true. When you want to protect the environment, it costs a lot of money, but I would say this is the best investment for the future. Kyoto’s budget for environmental conservation is about 300 million yen ($2.9 million) this year, but it is not that high an amount of money if you consider the ripple effects of environmental measures that will occur within the next 30 years.
A large number of projects which require a lump sum of money are not appropriate for the financial status of the local government.
For example, when we make a new highway, the new road will ease traffic jams. Therefore, there will be less carbon dioxide emissions, but such a thing requires a lot of money. Instead of large-scale measures, we need at least a certain degree of environmental policies for the sake of everyone’s lives.
If you look at Kumamoto Prefecture, you would realize how the environment is important for us. The prefecture did not care about the environment at all, so residents paid the price. Many people came down with Minamata disease. The prefecture had to pay an arm and a leg to compensate all the victims.

What are your personal environmental protection measures?
My office is on the third floor, but I never use an elevator. Walking is good for my health, so I will never use the elevator. At home, I use lukewarm water instead of hot water, and lower the room temperature as well. I’m currently using a hybrid car, but such green cars are still expensive, so I hope they will soon be available at a lower price so more people can afford to buy hybrid. I’m urging an auto plant, Mitsubishi Motors, which is located in Kyoto, to develop relatively cheap hybrid cars. There is no boundary when it comes to the environment because we’re all influenced by it.

By Kim Dong-ho JoongAng Ilbo [so@joongang.co.kr]