supply of safe water, human health will be affected, resulting in lower productivity, less income and poverty. It is estimated that the world's population will increase 1.1 billion by 2015 with 88% of that population residing in cities, making it especially important to improve municipal water supply systems in cities.

For humankind to survive within the complex relationship between the environment, society and economy, environmental considerations must be incorporated into a socio-economic system that considers the finite nature of the earth. According to a World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) estimation that compared humankind's consumption of resources to nature's productive capacity, the consumption of resources by humanity already exceeded nature's productive capacity in the 1970s. In view of this, Japanese must reduce current resource consumption by half in order to live within the environmental carrying capacity of the earth. We must take steady and effective measures towards the building of a sustainable society.

Ecological Footprint by Country

World Ecological Footprint (1961–1999)

Note: When this index exceeds 1.0, it means that planet's productive capacity can no longer support humans and that the Earth's natural capital would be depleted.

Source: Living Planet Report 2002, WWF

## Section 2: Building of a Sustainable Society from Individual and Community Efforts

### 1. Johannesburg Summit

Within the close relationship between the environment, society and economy, the root of global environmental problems lies, after all, in people’s daily activities in their homes and communities. From this perspective, individual and community efforts are extremely important to build a sustainable society.

In the Johannesburg Summit, national governments, as well as international organizations, local governments, NGOs (non-governmental organizations) and businesses, participated as actors on equal basis and voluntarily announced the implementation of specific projects for achieving sustainable development. “Record of Commitments/Partnerships” of these projects was prepared. Given these achievements, each actor must implement the specific measures it declared at the Summit. As such, individual and community efforts are already beginning at the international level.

## Outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit

Type-I-Outcomes: Documents summarizing the results of negotiations and agreements between governments.

## The Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development

• A document showing the resolution of head of states to pursue sustainable development. It describes the environment, poverty, and other issues faced by different countries and states the commitments of these countries to improve access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, energy, food safety and security, etc.; make efforts to contribute ODA at the internationally agreed levels; and strengthen governance.

## Plan of Implementation

• A document about initiatives to promote the implementation of Agenda 21. The document is made up of various sections including “Introduction, Poverty eradication, Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development, Sustainable development in a globalizing world, Health and sustainable development, Sustainable development of small island developing states, Sustainable development for Africa, Means of implementation, and Institutional framework for sustainable development.”

Type-II-Outcomes: A document describing voluntary and specific initiatives proposed and declared by each actor. The projects declared by various actors are non-binding in nature. They are called “Type-Twos” to differentiate from agreements.

## Record of Commitments/Partnerships

• These are partnerships and initiatives for implementing the Type-I-outcomes. They are specific projects carried out in conjunction with the governments of various countries and international organizations for sustainable development. Japan has registered 30 projects with the United Nations Secretariat, covering the fields of water, forest, energy, education, science and technology, health care, and biodiversity.

Source: Ministry of the Environment

### 2. Trends of Individual and Community Efforts for Coping with Specific Environmental Problems

At about the same time as the Earth Summit, Japan enacted the Basic Environment Law in 1993. Since then, Japan has worked on establishing a framework for building a sustainable society in each area, including the mitigation of global warming, conservation of biodiversity, and the establishment of a recycling-based society. Although each actor is expected to carry out measures according to its role under this framework, given the characteristics and situation of today’s environmental problems, each actor must take voluntary and positive initiatives.