Message boad of Yugo ONO
Profile of Yugo ONO, total advisor
● Born in Tokyo in 1948. Loved insects in a primary school, interested in fossils and mountaineering in junior high school, majored geology in university, studied glaciers and glacial ages, by climbing many mountains in Japan, Alps and Himalaya, came to Hokkaido to teach in Hokkaido University in 1986, observed a destruction of nature of Hokkaido whish had been best conserved before, and began a conservation activity of nature, wrote “Story for finding Nature”(4 volumes, Iwanami Publisher, 1996-97) which was awarded the 44th Sankei Children's Book Publishing Culture Prize. Profesor of Grduate School of Environmental Earth Science, Hokkaido University, representative of several environmental NGOs.
Every one in Hokkaido, Let's Take your action for the future !
Present Earth with an endless Heating
We experienced a summer of record heat in Japan. Two sites in Honshu recorded 40,9℃ on 16 August 2007, renewing the maximum air temperature record since 74 years ago. Totally 101 sites in japan recorded the highest temperature since the meteorological observation began. But it is not only the case in Japan. Global mean air temperature increased 0.7℃ in the past 100 years in 20th Century, and a decade of 1990's recorded the hottest summer during 100 years. The sea ice of the Arctic Sea is melting and the alpine glaciers are largely retreating. Big typhoons, hurricanes and a number of tornados are also increasing. All kinds of abnormal weather increase and cause more floods and droughts which damage the human life.A Huge deviation from the Natural state of the Earth
The most important cause of global warming is the so-called Green House Gas (GHS) Such as CO2 and methane in the atmosphere. These gases play an important role to reduce the outward radiation of solar energy received on the Earth surface. But an excessive content of GHS largely increases the air temperature of the Earth. CO2 content of the atmosphere increases 35% during 200years since the Industrial revolution in 18th -19th Century. From a viewpoint of CO2 content, the Earth nature is largely deviated from its normal state and it cannot be regarded as “natural state”.Now it's a time to take action to reduce CO2
Knowing about the Earth Now, and begin the Earth-friendly actions in the daily life. This is a main concept of “Earth-friendly Eco-Project” of Hokkaido News Paper Company. I quite agree with this, and decided to participate to it. Imagine you can change Hokkaido and finally the Earth environment by your action, although it is small. By changing a little bit of your daily life style, by decreasing an useless Destruction of nature in Hokkaido, you can certainly reduce CO2 content of the Earth. But the way you can choose by yourself. Let's study various way here together, and let's take action together Now !Reference: IPCC（Intergovernmental Panel for Climatic Changes ）the Forth Report of Evaluation.
Toward G8 Summit at Lake Toya
Next July, 2008, G8 Summit will be held at lake Toya. The top issue there is the CO2 reduction. Since Japan chairs the Summit Conference, Japan needs to show the best example of CO2 reduction. But if the participants to G8 hear “CO2 emission per person is the worst in Hokkaido”, they will be disappointed. How to do ? One idea is to supply solar energy to the G8 conference hall and press center. The number of wind farm is most in Hokkaido. It is a good news. How about to encourage people to use more natural (re-productive) energy on a occasion of G8 ? Imagine all oil tanks disappear from houses in Hokkaido. It is sure that natural (re-productive) energy which left nothing bad behind is most suitable to Hokkaido. But it is said “The most effective generation is the saving energy”. Is your fluorescent light is shining although the sunlight is fully coming in your room? Didn’t you forget to switch off the light in the vacant room ? You can reduce much more CO2 emission either at home or school in your daily life. Dispenser is surely convenient. But please imagine if you take off them, how much CO2 you can reduce.
Animals’ & Plants’ Warm Biz
Human being is not the only creature trying to survive winter with little energy expenditure.? Consider, for example, brown bears that hibernate underground or in a cave. Rabbits and foxes also prepare warm fur for winter. In a winter forest, you can also find the house of a mouse under snow. They find an accommodation in a hollow formed by fallen bamboo grass. You may think the snow is cold, but the soft snow can function as a natural heat insulator. The temperature never goes below 0 ℃ under a thick layer of snow, even if it is minus 30 ℃ outside! Also consider plants such as bamboo grass which were originally a southern plant, but thrives through winter.
The plant Ezo Yuzuriha (Daphniphyllum humile) also keeps its brilliant green leaves if covered completely by a thick snow.
In old days, Ainu people used to live in a pit dwelling. By digging underground, they were able to utilize the geothermal heat. Their house was well insulated, having a low roof covered with thick layer of snow. Once they made a fire on the floor, it completed an energy-efficient house perhaps more efficient than modern buildings today.
?Let us also enjoy thriving through winter by wearing an extra sweater
A message from the forest of acorn
A message from the forest of acorn In the summer, I went to a forest of acorn.The sun was shining, and many leaves were being busy photosynthesizing. Although trees do breathe and emit CO2 , they absorb greater amount of CO2 through photosynthesis, so that they can fatten their trunk, grow their branches, and fatten their acorns.
In the fall, I went to a forest of acorn. One by one, the acorn drops fell on the ground. Yellow leaves scattered around as the wind blew. There also was an aged tree fallen on the ground. Fallen leaves and trees would be turned back into soil as they decompose, and CO2 stored inside them would change form and be stored in soil. However, some CO2 are released into air during the process.
I then saw a squirrel eating an acorn. CO2 has changed its form from an acorn to the squirrel feces and returns to the ground. Also, CO2 inside the squirrel’s body would eventually return to the air as the squirrel dies. Trees do not emit extra CO2 like humans do. They store the absorbed CO2 for a long time in various forms, and eventually return the equal amount of CO2 as they absorbed, to the air. This is called “carbon neutral”. Let us follow the tree’s example, and stop emitting excess CO2.
Carlo’s school
When I first heard about an elementally school in Germany that has no trash can, I could not believe it. However, when I visited the school, there indeed was only a single small bucket. “What about papers?” I asked to the students. “We use both front and back sides of a paper, and then we use it as an important resource to be recycled”. They answered. That was not the only thing they did to reduce paper waste. The first grade students were practicing alphabets “A”, “B”, “C” by writing in the sand placed in a box lid. A great example of “reusing”!!
In the classroom, there was a big fish tank with forest soil inside. There was an earthworm living in the soil. At the beginning, some of the girls could not welcome having “an earthworm” in the class, so it was given the name “Carlo”?a popular German name (male) equivalent to Japanese “Taro”.
In the school, each student brings his/her own lunch box. When the students finish eating, it’s time for Carlo to have lunch. Garbage such as the core of an apple or a banana peel are quickly consumed when put in the fish tank. “I see, Carlo seems to love those”. However, when the students put a plastic wrap or an aluminum foil, they remained in the fish tank. “I see, Carlo can not eat these. Let’s not use the things which Carlo can not eat!” Through the lesson from Carlo, children learn the way to reduce wastes.
Eco Setsubun: Drive demons away
On February 3rd, we celebrate Setsubun (the Bean Throwing Ceremony) in Japan. Developing the concept of Eco Setsubun, let us wear extra clothing（”fuku” in Japanese means both closing and fortune）, set the heating temperature one degree below usual, and chant “oni wa soto, fuku wa uchi” (Drive demons away, bring fortune in). This would be a good example of Uchi Eco, bringing warmth and happiness inside a house. Now, what do you think the “demons” represent?
With the approach of the 2008 G8 summit, I am struck by EU’s efforts to promote the large scale use of renewable energy. Germany, which took the chair in the previous G8 summit, has set a plan to increase the percentage of electricity generated by renewable resources (wind power and solar energy) to 45% by 2030. The UK has also promised to obtain about 15 % of its energy from renewable sources, the rate 10 times higher than the current level of 1.5 %.
What about Japan which will chair the G8 summit this year? Surprisingly, its goal is to increase the proportion of renewable energy to 1.5 %! “Excuse me, 1.5 %? Did you place the decimal point right?” Other countries are disappointed at the startling small figure.
Despite being one of the world’s most earthquake-prone countries, Japan has continued to promote the use of nuclear energy. In Japan, if a nuclear power plant stops to operate due to an accident or for the maintenance, charcoal is used to fills the vacancy of electricity generation. That is why the construction of nuclear power plant coincides with the construction of thermal power plant using charcoal. However, it is important to note that the charcoal combustion results in high level of CO2 emission. “Uchi Eco” is necessary, but the household-level efforts alone are not good enough to reduce CO2 emission in Japan. We should also fight against “Demons” outside.
How to prevent the “unexpected”?
It was “unexpected” that global warming caused by CO2 would go to such an extent that almost all aspects of our lives are threatened. But what is more concerning is the “unexpected” natural phenomena that will occur in near future. When I went to Teshio river last year, I was surprised by the turbidity of the river. The river got turbid from a certain point, and as I walked upstream, I found out why. There had been unprecedented heavy rainfall yesterday, carrying away soil from the field. Before, it was not a problem to have some heavy rains, but now the area got fragile, and it can easily get flooded. Many people would then recommend to build a dam, but the dam can only prevent certain amount of rainfall. In 2003 “unexpected” heavy rainfall, “unexpected” large amounts of soil, water, and driftwood drifted into Nibutani dam. If the rain continued at the same pace, there was high risk of dam break. In fact, the residents were evacuated from the area. In times of “unexpected” heavy rains, dams may pose additional risks to human society. Another drawback of a dam is that its construction results in large amount of CO2 emission. It is a better idea for us, for fish, and for the Earth to think of ways to store flooded water in riparian lowlands, without destroying the environment.
Houses in Honshu island are too cold!?
For people living in Hokkaido, it is a tough experience to go visit a house in Honshu during winter, and spend overnight there. The houses in Honshu are designed only to cope with heat and humidity of summer. No countermeasure is taken to cope with coldness of winter. Born in Tokyo, I overcame winter with Kotatsu (Japanese low table with heater) only. Eventually, I began to use small stove, which was then replaced by a fan heater. The house in Tokyo was poorly insulated and was very drafty, so the room quickly cooled down as soon as I turned off the heater. I also lived in Tsukuba, comparatively cold area in Kanto district, north of Tokyo. There, I lived in the first floor of a concrete apartment. Now, guess where was the warmest in the house?
The answer is, “inside a refrigerator”!! That’s right. The north-ward window was frozen from inside the room! Inside the refrigerator, where the temperature was kept constant at 5 ℃, was the warmest part. As I mentioned before, the excess use of heaters is one reason why Hokkaido has 1.3 times more CO2 emission than Honshu. However, another reason might be that the houses in Honshu are too cold!
On the other hand, in Northern Europe, some apartment buildings are operating with no heater. Those buildings are well insulated with thick walls, and daytime solar heat makes the room warm enough. If people in Northern Europe are able to spend winter without any heaters, it must also be possible for people in Hokkaido to do so. Some improvements are necessary for the houses in Hokkaido.