Figure2-4-8 Koshigaya Lake Town Land Readjustment Project

$ ^{*} $ The perspective was drawn up based on a project plan and is different from an actual one.

Source: Saitama Regional Branch Office, Urban Renaissance Agency

contributing to emissions reductions by 14 million tons (equivalent to a little more than 1% of Japan's gross emissions) globally in 2007, the net of the impact from steel Japan is importing from foreign countries. A Japanese automaker, in its "Sustainability Report 2009," stated that the company has sold a cumulative total of over 1.8 million hybrid vehicles, including to overseas markets, claiming that the cumulative global effects of carbon dioxide emissions reductions would exceed 10 million tons. In water purification technologies used, for instance, for seawater desalination, Japanese companies excel in the reverse osmosis membrane method. One membrane maker estimates that it has contributed to reducing carbon dioxide emissions by some 9.4 million tons globally in 2007 by spreading its membrane technology worldwide to replace the conventional evaporation method. As demonstrated by specific examples cited above, some Japanese companies have already been playing major roles in reductions of greenhouse gas emissions overseas. By continuing similar efforts in various industry sectors, Japan, as stated in the New Growth Strategy, should aim to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by about 1.3 billion tons-CO2, almost the same amount as Japan's gross emissions, by taking advantage of superb technologies developed in the private sector.

Provision of information, or “visualization,” on carbon dioxide emissions from various goods and services used by people (both individuals and corporations) who are aware of global warming problems and want to reduce carbon dioxide emitted from their daily life or business activities should give a strong boost to their actions and behaviors. Also, in response to people’s growing consciousness of global warming, we are entering an era in which active efforts to reduce emissions of carbon dioxide help enhance the brand value of companies and their products. Against this backdrop, for example, there are an increasing number of companies that donate carbon dioxide emission rights purchased overseas to the national government for carbon offsetting while trying to improve the image of their brands by offering goods and services that come with carbon offsetting. Regarding the green electricity certificate system, essentially a similar scheme to carbon offsetting, the amount of contracted electric energy has been increasing sharply in recent years. As for the government’s responses regarding carbon offsetting, for example, the Ministry of the Environment is operating the offsetting credit (J-VER) system to contribute to reductions and removals of carbon dioxide emissions by supporting carbon offsetting and at the same time to direct a flow of private-sector funds to mountainous villages for local revitalization (Figure 2-4-7).

In order to support small businesses’ efforts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, in tandem with the trial implementation of a domestic integrated market for emission trading, the domestic credit system was initiated in October 2008 for the certification of greenhouse gas emissions reduced by small businesses by employing technologies and funds provided by large corporations, which then use certified amounts to help achieve reduction targets incorporated in their voluntary action plans, etc.

We have also seen the emergence of bold attempts to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from residential houses and commercial facilities in communities as a whole. Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward, pursuant to an ordinance on global warming countermeasures enacted in January 2008, started replacing street lights managed by the ward office with energy-saving lights in FY2008 as part of its initiative to reduce electric energy used in ward facilities. Assuming that all of the 5,501 street lights managed by the ward are replaced with energy-saving ones, electric energy used would be reduced by some 2.5 million Kwh, an amount equivalent to the annual consumption of electric energy by some 700 households. In Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture, meanwhile, the “Koshigaya Lake Town” land readjustment project, for which the Urban Renaissance Agency serves as a constructor, is aimed at community-building for