Initiatives for climate management, Japanese way 3 Rs
Posted on: 01/Jun/2010 2:27:11 AM
Kazuo Minagawa, Consul General of Japan in Chennai was inaugurating the conference on “Climate Management: Diverse Perceptions and Varied Approaches,” hosted by the Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IJCCI) in his speech he outlined the concrete measures undertaken by Japan that signified a shift from mass production and consumption to a low carbon society.
Effective climate management has to involve macro measures such as action plans for emission reduction and micro-level citizen initiatives that reduced individual carbon footprints, according to speakers at a discussion on climate change held here on Monday.
N. Krishna swami, The President Indo-Japan Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Vadivel Krishnamurthy, Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in Southern India also participated in the meeting held on Monday in Chennai.
The Japanese advocates 3 “Rs” — reduce, re-use and recycle, said Mr. Minagawa .
Vadivel Krishnamurthy, Sri Lankan Deputy High Commissioner in South India, said climate management was important for the survival of the small and vulnerable island nation.
The measures undertaken by the Government included advocating agricultural measures such as harvesting drought-resistant rice varieties, encouraging sustainable land use patterns and monitoring sea level rise.
The Government had also launched nation-wide programmes for integrated solid waste management, a green cities campaign and eco-villages initiatives, he said.
Matthew K. Beh, Political/Economic Officer, US Consulate, Chennai, said the drama at the Copenhagen Summit had overshadowed much of the progress that had been made in heralding a new paradigm in scaling down emission of green house gases, even though 130 countries that contributed to 85 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions had agreed to bring down the emissions on this front.
Addressing the climate change challenge among the developed and developing countries involved a “common but differentiated response,” Mr. Beh said every country had to be committed to varying degrees of reducing emissions.
The other members who spoke stressed the importance of involving youth in the discussions on Climate Change as they will be facing the problem actually.
