Japan asks citizens to cut greenhouse gas emissions

The new Office for Promotion of Global Warming Prevention and Citizen Lifestyles is expected to generate, spread and help carry our policies to fight global warming, and will work with citizens’ groups, businesses, local governments and other departments within the national government, in order to encourage climate change countermeasures.

“In order to achieve our Kyoto Protocol targets, each citizen will have to alter his or her lifestyle,” said Environment Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.

Reining in residential and transportation emissions will help entice industry to trim its greenhouse gas emissions, and will be an essential component of the country’s attempt to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 6% of 1990 levels by 2012, said ministry officials.