The question that remains is how to respond. It seems, at last, that governments are beginning to appreciate the gravity of the problem; there are encouraging signs of political action. The European Union, for instance, is implementing a ban on filament light bulbs; from 2009, only low-energy bulbs will be sold. But there is scarcely a country in Europe that will meet its targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions even to the modest degree expected by the Kyoto Protocol.

Japan's emissions, too, have risen: ironically, by 6 percent, roughly the amount it had undertaken to cut. Yet the distinct attributes of Japanese culture may place the country in the front line of the fight against climate change.

Despite superficial Westernization, Japan remains a collectivist society. More than most Europeans, the Japanese are generally willing to make private sacrifices for the public good. Recent surveys have shown that majorities of Japanese citizens in various prefectures would be willing to pay higher taxes to pay for the local implementation of environmentalist policies such as waste reduction, reforestation, or making exhaust emissions cleaner. At the same time, businesses have voluntarily pursued a green agenda. The Ricoh group recycles 100 percent of waste at all sites, while energy giant Tepco has set itself the goal of reducing carbon emissions by 20 percent from 1990 levels by 2010.

Such gestures seem to come naturally in Japan; in Britain, personal sacrifice is harder to sell. Environment Secretary David Miliband, a possible future prime minister, has advocated carbon rationing; each citizen would be given an allowance, and those who generated excess carbon dioxide would have to buy rations from the more frugal. The consequences would be individually felt: air and road travel, lighting, heating and computer access would all rise in price. The conservative press is already campaigning against these proposals, phrasing the argument in terms of human rights; British citizens should not have their lifestyle choices restricted. This month, the Independent newspaper reported that only 5 percent of the British public would endorse personal carbon allowances. Only 22 percent would be willing to make even the small gesture of taking one fewer foreign holiday a year. Western individualism has many virtues, but it may fatally compromise our attempts to counter climate change.

Another significant cultural factor is Japan's traditional affinity with nature. Admittedly, those familiar with the artificiality of the modern Japanese city may question whether this still exists: nature has almost been banished from Japan's conurbations. Wood has been replaced by concrete; Japanese cities have fewer parks per head than any other developed country, and the treeless streets of central Tokyo stand in stark contrast with London's leafy roads. But this is not the heart of the matter. The Japanese, unlike the British, are still taught to be aware of nature and of the rhythms of the seasons. The opening of the first cherry blossoms is front page news in Japan; television weather forecasters chart the northward spread of the flowers on a nightly basis. This year the cherry blossoms flowered, both in Tokyo and London, around March 20 -- perhaps 10 days earlier than normal. But only in Japan was this noticed.

This article will be printed as Golden Week begins. In the past, this holiday coincided with the cherry blossoms in northern Tohoku, and the Sakura Festival at Hirosaki Castle in Aomori could count on 2 million visitors. Now, the display is over by Golden Week, and the number of visitors has dropped to around half a million. A trivial problem? Certainly, compared to the many millions of people that may suffer and die as a result of climate change. But it is not irrelevant, because people will appreciate the reality of global warming not due to apocalyptic predictions but because of the change they see in their parks and gardens. When they do so, the Japanese may be more inclined than anyone to act.

The Japan Times Weekly: April 28, 2007
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