We have tended to believe that affluence means living amid a plethora of consumer electronics fulfilling myriad functions. If COP3 was flawed, it was in its failure to pursue this dimension adequately. The lifestyle of the Edo-period Japanese was a model of energy conservation and recycling of resources. Edo's water supply, sewage disposal, and literacy rate were all far superior to those of such European capitals as London and Paris. Instead of changing the environment to suit human convenience, the Edo-period Japanese sought to adapt their lifestyle to the environment.
Environmental issues boil down to civilizational issues.
After the Meiji Restoration of 1868, which put an end to the Edo period, Japan pursued modernization by striving to catch up with Western nations. It is time for the Japanese to show the world an attractive model of their own.