2021 TOP 100 GOOD
PRACTICE STORY
Title of the Story: Efforts to Address Climate Change in Ski ResortTourism Areas
Destination Name: (include any state, province or region)
Niseko Town
Country: Japan

Submitter name: Masao Aoki
Email address: aoki-masao@town.niseko.lg.jp
Position: Niseko Resort Tourism Association Co. Counselor, Commerce, Industry
and Tourism Division, Niseko Town
Nomination Category: (Please check the boxes that indicate the focus of your story)
Please find detailed information for the categories below in the Top 100 training module ‘Good
Practice Story’.
☐ Localizing the destination supply chain☐ Decarbonizing the destination supply chain☐ Culture & Communities☒ Environment & Climate☐ Nature & Ecotourism☐ Tourism Reset & Recovery

Find detailed instructions for submitting good practices in the Top 100 training module“Good Practice Story”.
Should you have any questions on your submission please refer to our FAQ page orcontact top100@greendestinations.o rg

DESCRIBE YOUR GOOD PRACTICE STORY
Address each aspect of your good practice story in the different sections being specific including relevant quantitativeand qualitative information.

Issues facedWhat was the problem/issue solved with the good practice? Click to add your text

Niseko is a popular destination for skiers from all over the world to experience powder snow, also
known as "japow.” The secret behind the quality of the snow is that the north wind from the Sea ofJapan blows over Annupuri and creates a large amount of dry snow. The dry snow is so fluffy that it
does not turn into snowballs when you hold it.
However, due to climate change, the volume of snowfall in 2019 was less than half of what it was twoyears earlier, and the average temperature in the second half of this century is predicted to rise by
about 5 degrees Celsius.
Methods, steps and tools applied
How was the good practice implemented? Click to add your text

Niseko Town is one of the most advanced areas in Japan in terms of residents' self-government andenvironmental administration. Twenty years ago, it became the first town in Japan to create a basic
ordinance for town development (it is rare for a municipality to have a charter in Japan, which is moreof a centralized country), and all meetings of the town office are open to the public, so that residents
and the government can think about how to govern the region on a common ground. In this context,
the town has developed an "environment-conscious town planning" strategy that anticipated therecent trends of decarbonization and SDGs.
In July of last year, Mayor Katayama declared a climate emergency He stated that the town willcontinue to take on the challenge of making advanced efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions,which are the cause of climate change, to virtually zero by 2050 through both the "mitigation" ofgreenhouse gas emissions and the "adaptation" of nature and society to cope with the effects ofclimate change.
For example, even though reducing greenhouse gas emissions is an urgent issue, it is hard to imagine alife without cars in a low population density area with high snowfall.
However, instead of postponing this difficult issue, Niseko Town has been deepening discussions
among the local government, experts and residents for the past two years, referring to the example ofZermatt, Switzerland, where only business vehicles are allowed to run around town.
Furthermore, the town of Niseko has installed heat pumps in several public facilities that use clean
energy sources such as geothermal heat, natural hot springs heat, and snow and ice. This has resulted
in a reduction of 70 tons of CO2/m2 compared to before the installation.
In addition, in order to prevent the outflow of revenue from greenhouse gas reduction efforts to theoutside of the town, Niseko is researching a system to return the revenue from electricity and heat
supply to the local community.

In August last year, as a result of these discussions, Niseko Town Corporation was established to help
design a model town development district with short travel distances and support local energy
projects.
Niseko Town is cognizant of the substantial effect the reduction of CO2 emissions from the tourism
industry would have on climate change, and thus is prioritizing the following policy proposals:a) Using the tourism tax as a financial resource to support tourism businesses that introduce
renewable energy.
b) A system in which experts conduct energy efficiency and conservation audits and propose specificmeasures for tourism businesses.
Key success factorsWhat helped you tackle the issues? Click to add your text

In order to take the project from the planning stage to the implementation stage, it was essential thatthe town support resident autonomy and promote transparency through the public disclosure ofinformation. The town has cultivated these policies over the past 20 years.
The support of other government agencies and experts who took an interest in Niseko Town's efforts
was also very important.
Lessons learned
While implementing the Good Practice what challenges were faced, and how were they overcome? Click to add
your text

Nowadays, no one denies the importance of combating climate change. However, there are manydifferent perspectives on how to approach the issue. As a ski resort region, Niseko is a wide area that
includes multiple neighboring municipalities, and it is necessary to have careful discussions with awider range of stakeholders and to make efforts to gain the understanding of foreign businesses andtourists.
Results, achievements and recognitions
What were the qualitative and quantitative results of the good practice? Has it received any rewards? Click to add
your text

The town's efforts to tackle environmental issues based on residents' self-governance have been highly
evaluated as a city that is taking on the challenge of pioneering initiatives with high goals toward therealization of a low-carbon society.
Awards received:a) Selected as an "Environmental Model City of the Future" (March 2014)b) Selected as "SDGs Future City" (June 2018)c) Grand Prize of The Japan Times Satoyama & ESG Award, Satoyama Category (September 2019)
Additional references

Provide links to further information. Pictures and videos should be available for download either from Youtube,Vimeo or other Cloud-based (Google/ One Drive) download URL.

Niseko Town website (addressing climate change issues)
https://www.town.niseko.lg.jp/chosei/kankyo/kikouhendou
Niseko Town website (Environmental Model City (Global Warming Countermeasures))https://www.town.niseko.lg.jp/chosei/kankyo/model/