Were you hot this summer? Vashon Island had a sunny spring. Nice…but unheard of. In June it was 112˚ in Portland. The forests are burning in Oregon, California, and Arizona. The air is smokey as far away as New York City. Despite the fact that the American southwest is suffering from a 20 year drought, Tucson experiences ‘monsoons’ as early as June - when I was a child the rainy season began in August. This is just in America. Europe, Australia, Asia - all parts of the globe are suffering extreme weather change.
“Sorry, kiddo. I really am.” The Climate crisis is no longer ‘looming.’ It is here!
Three weeks ago the United Nations released a report on the Climate Crisis. “Nations have delayed curbing their fossil-fuel emissions for so long that they can no longer stop global warming from intensifying over the next 30 years, according to the report, issued on Monday (Augusts 9, 2021) by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Even if nations started sharply cutting emissions today, total global warming is likely to rise around 1.5 degrees Celsius within the next two decades….” (New York Times, “A Hotter Future…” August 11, 2021.)
We did this. We made greenhouse gases to power our cars, make our computer chips, run our air conditioners, cut down our trees to build houses and plant coffee plants. Oh, yes, and to fight our wars. Planes, trucks, bombs…
Greenhouse gases trap heat and make the planet warmer. And, it is not only heat we need to worry about. Blizzards, floods, hurricanes. It sounds grim, doesn’t it? The gases cause extreme weather patterns leading to floods, increased and more intense hurricanes, and colder winters. Weather change has caused changes in migratory patterns of animals and bugs and so we are seeing more mosquitos, ticks, and other animals that lead to new infectious diseases like Covid-19 and increased Lyme Disease from ticks.
The largest source of greenhouse gas comes from human activities burning fossil fuels for electricity, heat, and transportation.
Japan is the 5th largest emitter of greenhouse gases. The largest contributor is China, then the United States, followed by India, and Russia.
Japan has major problems replenishing its energy sources. The country lacks significant domestic reserves of fossil fuels and must import crude oil, natural gas, coal, and uranium. There is concern this year that Tokyo will not get through this summer without blackouts. It’s hot here and air conditioners are running at full power.
While Japan previously relied on nuclear power to meet about 30% of its electricity needs, after the 2011 Fukushima (3/11) nuclear disaster, all nuclear reactors were progressively shut down for safety concerns. Since then 5 nuclear plants have reopened, however, following the Fukushima disaster, the general public has opposed the use of nuclear energy.
27% of Japan’s energy comes from coal fired factories, and last year Japan’s leadership announced it would have to increase its use of coal until alternate sources were ready. As of June 2020, there were plans to build or rebuild 17 coal plants. Fortunately, political pressure stopped it. Japan has scrapped building any new coal plants and Japanese banks have withdrawn their plans to invest in new coal plants in Indonesia and Bangladesh, where Japan hoped to get coal. Australia provides 70% of Japan’s coal.
In the meantime, Japan is scurrying to produce energy from alternative energy sources. Alternative energy would be much much better for the environment as well as non-fossil based energy would free Japan from her dependence on imports. Japan has some dams that are used for hydroelectric power (BTW: dams are the world’s largest source of alternate energy).
In the last 10 years since 3/11 the country has invested heavily in solar, wind, and non-fossil produced hydrogen power. As of 2020, 21.7% of Japan’s energy comes from alternative sources. That is better than the United States where 12% of its energy comes from non-fossil fuel sources. On the other hand, Japan’s alternate energy sources are only half of Europe’s whose 44.3% of its energy comes from non-fossil fuel sources (2020).
Prime Minister Suga promised that by 2030 (that’s only 9 years away!), 40% of Japan’s energy will come from alternate sources (solar, wind, wave, and clean nitrogen) and there will be 0 emissions in 60% of the total emitters.
Japan gets very high marks for its transportation system. Japan runs a very sophisticated mass transit system that is primarily based on electric power (75% is based on green energy). The highly modern Shinkansen uses electricity to power its very efficient superconducting magnetic levitation. (No, I didn’t make that up and it is a real thing!) Combined with local trains and subways, the system moves an unbelievable 31 billion passengers per year (2018). 61% of all students and 57% of workers use the trains and subways.
Tokyo, the center of Japan’s business and finance is a highly advanced city with an infrastructure that any city should envy. It has balanced the needs of a massive population with a well running transportation system, green spaces and parks, museums, shopping areas, archtectural jewels, and hospitals and clinics. The city is clean and crime is low. If Japan can replicate its incomparable success in building such an impressive infrastructure and mass transit system to producing a country free from the negative impact of fossil fuels, Japan will be the world leader in protecting our environment and will act as a model to the world.
