# Part 2 The Ministry of the Environment’s Report on Each Sector’s Measures

The White Paper on the Environment, the Sound Material-Cycle Society and the Biodiversity explain the reports related to policy measures and other initiatives in various sectors as follows.

Chapter 1 Building a Low Carbon Society

Chapter 2 Conservation of the Global Environment, the Atmospheric Environment, the Water Environment, the Soil Environment, and the Ground Environment

Chapter 3 Establishing a Sound Material-Cycle Society

Chapter 4 Assessment and Control of Risks from Chemical Substances in the Environment

Chapter 5 Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity

Chapter 6 Basis of Various Measures, and Measures Facilitating the Participation of Various Entities and International Cooperation

## 1 Building a Low Carbon Society

## (1) Overview of problems

Along with the expansion of human activities, massive, growing amounts of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions including carbon dioxide and methane are emitted into the atmosphere. In recent years, the greenhouse effect intensified by such increased emissions is threatening to cause excessive global warming. Especially, carbon dioxide $ \left(\mathrm{CO}_{2}\right) $ is emitted anthropogenically in vast amounts from the combustion of fossil fuels and others. Out of the GHG emissions Japan produces, carbon dioxide emissions account for approximately 95% of the total (Table1-1).

## (2) Current status of global warming and the outlook from now

According to the Working Group I contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in 2007, the global average surface temperature increased $ 0.74 \,^{\circ}C $ ( $ 0.56^{\circ}C $ to $ 0.92^{\circ}C $ ) between 1906 and 2005, and the total 20th century global average sea level rose 17 cm (12 to 22cm). The speed of the temperature rise in the most recent 50 years has also increased at double the rate of the past 100 years, and that speed of increase of sea levels is also increasing in recent years. The report states that, “Warming of the climate system is unequivocal,” and “Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic GHG concentrations.”

Based on multiple emission scenarios, with certain assumptions on worldwide economic growth, population, technological innovation, economic/energy structures and some other trends, the report also makes estimates, that the projected average global surface temperature will increase by approximately $ 1.8 \,^{\circ}C $ ( $ 1.1 \,^{\circ}C $ and $ 2.9 \,^{\circ}C $ ) at the end of 21st century (2090-2099) relative to 1980 to 1999 in a global society where conservation of the environment and economic development coexist, whereas the increase will be approximately $ 4.0 \,^{\circ}C $ ( $ 2.4 \,^{\circ}C $ to $ 6.4 \,^{\circ}C $ ) in a society that focuses on fossil fuel energy in a continuous period of high economic growth.

In addition, the report states as a new knowledge that the global warming tends to reduce land and ocean uptake of atmospheric $ CO_{2} $ , increasing the

Table1-1 Impacts of Global Warming Observed in Recent Years

Indicator	Observed changes
Global average surface temperature	• 100 year linear trend of 0.74 (0.56~0.92) $ ^{\circ} $ C until 2005
• The linear warming trend over the last 50 years is nearly twice that for the last 100 years.
• Eleven of the last twelve years (1995-2006) rank among the 12 warmest years in the record of global surface temperature (since 1850).
• Average arctic temperatures increased at almost twice the global average rate in the past 100 years.
Global mean sea level	• The total 20th-century rise is estimated to be 0.17cm
• The increase rate is 3.1mm/year over 1993 to 2003.
Hot days/heat waves	More frequent
Cold days and nights/days that frost falls	Less frequent
Heavy precipitation events	More frequent
Drought	More intense and longer droughts have been observed over wider areas since the 1970s, particularly in the tropics and subtropics.
Glaciers and snow cover	• Mountain glaciers and snow cover have declined on average in both hemispheres.

Source: Compiled by the Ministry of the Environment based on the IPCC Forth Assessment Report

proportion of anthropogenic emissions that remains in the atmosphere, along with a projection the climate carbon cycle feedback will induce more global average warming. Projections based on the report predict a reduction in the average global surface ocean pH between 0.14 to 0.35 units over the 21st century, adding to the present decrease of 0.1 units.

In Japan, the average temperature has risen by approximately $ 1^{\circ} $ C during the 20th century. Climate change is expected to have significant impacts on ecosystems, agriculture, social infrastructure, and human health.

## (3) Status of GHG emissions in Japan

Japan emitted 1,374 million tons $ ^{*} $ of greenhouse gases (hereinafter, figures marked with $ ^{*} $ represent data for $ CO_{2} $ equivalents) in FY2007, which was 9.0% higher than the total emissions (1,261 million tons $ ^{*} $ ) of the base year (FY1990, however, the base year for HFCs, PFCs, and $ SF_{6} $ is FY1995) as stipulated in the Kyoto Protocol, an increase of 2.4% compared to the previous year (Figure1-1).

Of the greenhouse gases, the total carbon dioxide emissions in FY2007 were 1,340 million tons (an