Zenbird Editorial TeamThe climate emergency is one of the biggest challenges the world has ever faced, and demands immediate attention and action. Japan declaring net zero carbon by 2050 is a declaration not only to reduce carbon emissions, but also a dramatic change in societal values and system structures. Change will be an upheaval, but studying the history of Japanese culture hints that it is not a negative one.
In this second session, Isao Kitabayashi from Sustainable Business Hub and Yu Kato from Harch Inc. explore the intersection of carbon-neutral and Japanese culture. We take a look at how climate change is affecting Japan, then how we can look into Japan’s past to find answers to achieve carbon-neutral status.
Climate Change is here, and it’s changing Japan too
Measuring the carbon dioxide and methane concentration in the atmosphere, we see an apparent linear increase between 1987 and 2019. And this correlates to the rise in average annual temperatures in Japan. In fact, there was a 1.24 degrees increase in temperature between 1898 and 2019. Global warming is already affecting Japan.
Kato: “What changes can Japan expect from climate change? Rising sea levels and flooding in cities, and the east side of Tokyo is a high-risk area. Infrastructures will come to a standstill, heat waves bringing heat strokes and health problems, decrease in food supply, loss of portable water, oceanic ecological collapse, and devastation to land ecologies. These are devastating and are already happening.
“We evolved from using the term ‘global warming’ to ‘climate emergency’ to recognize the state of urgency. If we look at our carbon budget, we are fast running out of time on the carbon clock.”
Japan’s response was, of course, to declare a target of a carbon-neutral society by 2050, placing Japan on the Carbon Neutral track.
Japan, the Climate Emergency and Decarbonization
Kato: “As of this April, Japan has announced to reduce 46% of its greenhouse gas emissions as of 2013. But this is after the Fukushima Nuclear Incident, where Japan shifted greatly from nuclear energy to coal energy in 2011, and that 46% is based on after the incident. And even the energy industry in Japan finds this number difficult to achieve. However, according to the climate tracker, Japan needs to increase their NDCs to at least 62% by 2030, and we cannot even say that it is a high target. Furthermore, it is a difficult target for Japan.”
Remember, this is under the shadow of the 6th IPPC assessment report, which says we will likely go past 1.5 degrees.
Kato: “Climate change is not just an environmental concern, but is also a social issue. ‘Climate Justice’ and ‘Just Transition’ movements remind us that rich countries are responsible for most of the greenhouse gas emissions, but it is the poor countries that pay the price. So in the transition to decarbonize, it’s important not to leave anyone behind. For example, what will happen to workers in the coal industry when the switch is made to renewable energy. There are positives in the transition, but we must also address the minuses.”
Kato also reminds us of the urgency of climate refugees. The worse the climate change becomes, the more people are losing their homes. Globally, it is becoming common sense that we can no longer treat environmental and social problems as separate.
The obstacles in chasing after renewable energy
Decarbonization by switching to renewables is also problematic. For example, in Japan, irresponsible cleaving of mountainsides to install solar panels have brought about soil destabilization, resulting in landslides. The destruction of the ecology when we remove the trees. But the issues do not stop there.
Kato: “As the adoption of solar energy expanded, the cost of solar panel production dropped. Yet, China’s coal is a big reason for the result. China is now the leading producer of solar panels globally, and it is coal energy that drives the cheap, mass production of these solar panels. The production is based on a linear production design, so solar panels are not as green as we’d like to believe.
“According to Ellen MacArthur Foundation, every solar panel takes about eight years for the utilized carbon to cycle back into the ground. Furthermore, solar panels are difficult to recycle. While plans to create a circular economy for solar panels are in the works, we will face a problem trying to recycle the current ones in 20-30 years’ time.”
Furthermore, if we look at the world’s total emissions, addressing energy issues will only tackle 55% of total emissions. The remaining 45%, which comes from manufacturing, can be reduced through a circular economy.
Is carbon the villain? Decarbonization through understanding carbon cycles
Kato: “According to William McDonough in his column ‘Carbon is not the enemy,’ climate change is the failure in designing a proper carbon cycle, that we’ve put carbon in the atmosphere ‘in the wrong place, at a wrong dose, and for the wrong duration.'”
We see one example of the carbon cycle in the circle of life. Plants extract carbon dioxide and turn them into carbohydrates through water and photosynthesis. Animals feed on carbohydrates, which are broken down into carbon dioxide by bacterias when they pass away.
Kato: “This makes us think about the becoming beings in terms of the carbon cycle. Similarly, our bodies return to the ground, and we become elements necessary for plants. We can even say it’s our rebirth, which blurs the definition of death. This is something that science cannot answer, but the space ‘in between the definitions’ will be essential.
“Sustainability is sometimes seen as human beings exerting an external force on nature. On the other hand, when we talk about regenerative systems within a circular economy, human beings are an irremovable part of nature that works from within the whole. While the world is beginning to call this relationship ‘regeneration,’ the concept already exists in the Japanese culture.”
The essential prongs for decarbonization
The way to think about decarbonization is simple when we look at things from the carbon cycle. We can start by ending the release of carbon dioxide in fossil fuels from the ground into the air. We should shift everything to renewable energy.
Next, we should introduce regenerative farming by maximizing the role of carbon dioxide. In the same thread, we should protect our forests as the most effective organism to capture and hold carbon dioxide from the atmosphere (green carbon). We also want to protect the oceanic ecosystems through blue carbon.
Carbon sequestration is another method we’d want to use, extracting the excess carbon dioxide in the air and storing it, like using Direct Carbon Capture technologies. And, of course, the use of circular economy to achieve zero waste.
Kato: “To restore the carbon cycle, we need each of these steps to restore the carbon cycle. A concrete example will be planting trees. When we plant trees, they go through a cycle of wither and regrowth. And as we maintain the forest (like through utilization and thinning), there is a growth in soil organic matter, which also stores carbon dioxide. Of course, reforestation must be carried out the proper way for it to work.”
Hints from Japan to consume within our means
The largest hint of sustainability and decarbonization lies in Japan’s Edo Period, between 1603 and 1867. Kitabayashi shows us one of its features in the population numbers in the centuries.
Kitabayashi: “Looking at the latter half of Edo Period, population growth stabilized. Although the fields developed for agriculture, there was a realization that developing beyond a threshold would require more resources from nature than sustainably possible. Therefore, as a closed country, the population of Japan during the Edo Period maintained at around 33 million for more than a century. If we calculate the economic growth rate, it’s estimated to be 0.3% per year.
“Looking deeper into the economy, resources mainly consisted of organic matter that could be renewed in 1-2 years. They will eventually be used as fertilizers at the end. Energy sources included solar, wind, hydro and heat, which focused away from plant sources. Of course, solar energy doesn’t mean the use of solar panels. The Japanese have a saying, ‘Overcoming autumn and winter with the sun of spring and summer.’ It was the norm for society to create during the warmer months (like food produce) for use in the cold.
High ratio of durability to renewability, maximized through mottainai
The mottainai spirit (the dislike for creating wastage) of the Japanese meant that the resources were also maximized to their fullest potential, which often meant using every part of the resource. This led to Edo society developing 5R+U: reduce, repair, reuse, recycle, return and upcycle, where the focus was to extend the lifespan of the gifts from nature. The resource renewability rate to the length of usage is also astounding.
Kitabayashi: “The kouzo plant, which is used to create washi (Japanese paper), takes a year to grow. Yet, the washi is durable and can last for a millennial with careful use. Another example is the bamboo, which takes a month or two to grow and is often used by craftsmen for its decades of durability. So there is a high ratio of years of usage to years of production.
“It is in the Japanese culture to put such thought into their crafts. This is driven by mottainai spirit, developing techniques to maximize the use of limited resources. Beautifully, too, no less. For example, how the Japanese approached lighting. The oil used mainly came from seeds, brocade, sesame and camellia. Candle wax came from wax trees. These are plants that grow fast and can be harvested annually. The byproducts after extracting oil were then used as fertilizers.”
We find many other similar examples too. Apart from producing rice as a staple food, the straw byproduct is also used in daily lives (like shoes, bags, animal feed, buildings), as fertilizers and as fuel. Bamboo can be grown for food and use too. It is used in making tools, food wraps and boxes, containers, musical instruments and weapons.
Kitabayashi: “Reeds are cut every year and burnt into ash to use as fertilizers. It is possible to stockpile for future use, too. The yearly growth of reeds is an example of the cycle of carbon sequestration by the reeds. The industry worked within this carbon cycle.”
Living with trees, the world’s best carbon sequestrator
Japan’s forestry is an important discussion in Japan. Japan’s trees has till recently been under utilized, even within the country. But the climate crisis and extreme weathers in Japan have brought more attention to the potential of wood in Japan.
Kato: “Recently, wooden architecture is getting attention in Japan. For example, Sumitomo Forestry Co. Ltd. and Hines are collaborating to build a 15-storey wooden office structure near Melbourne, Australia. It has been the headlines for goals of a net-zero carbon building or even net negative. We’re likely to see more of these examples in the future.”
And Japan doesn’t need to go far to find more ways to use wood, as it is also embedded in the Japanese culture.
Kitabayashi: “The typical wooden Japanese home is an example of carbon fixation, as it hardly uses any inorganic compound. Other than the kiln, everything is built with natural materials. The Japanese then used their craftsmanship and knowledge to make living comfortable and built these homes beautifully.”
Wood also played an essential role in Japan’s iron industry. Japan’s iron basically comes from ironsand, and there was a balance between Japan’s iron industry and the forest. Charcoal was essential for iron casting and burned at about 1200 degrees. Iron’s melting point is also about 1200 degrees, though the charcoal makes iron malleable rather than melting. This is a special characteristic of Japan’s iron industry.
Kitabayashi: “The iron industry then required a whole mountain of trees, and they rotated the mountains to fell trees, while still working within the cycle which allows nature to return with more trees. One manifestation of this is the yakihata (slash-and-burn) performed in the Shiiba mountain region in Miyazaki Prefecture.”
To clarify, the slash-and-burn does not refer to the rampant burning and felling of forests. In contrast, the one conducted in Shiiba is small in scale, uses controlled fire, on a rotation basis, and allows the soil to renourish and trees to grow back, all without the need for fertilizers or chemicals. Yakihata is a circular agriculture that has minimal impact on the ecosystem while restoring the wealth of the forest. The process is documented in the following video (forwarded to the start of the process, estimated 4 minutes)
Japan’s route to decarbonization
The next question then, of course, is how Japan can make that transition. What are the essential values that we should treasure on the march towards decarbonization? And what about tangible actions?
Kato: “Carbon pricing and carbon credits may not be effective solutions. It’s good if we can reduce emissions, but we can’t really tell if the reported numbers seem to show close to zero because of clever accounting. It questions whether we really nipped the problem in the bud.
“Even if we can cut half the carbon emissions, an economy with twice the activity will still emit the same amount of carbon dioxide. So the question is how do we shift the mindsets of countries like Japan to bring about fundamental changes. Perhaps we should decouple economic growth, like during the Edo Period. That is the consensus of many in Europe.”
Kitabayashi: “When [Japan] closed itself to the world, it had to develop its culture based on what was available within the country. Following that, the wabisabi culture, popularized by Sen no Rikyuu, birthed an economy and raised life satisfaction. Sure, economic wealth is important, but the concept of beauty is valued. The shift from loving elegance to appreciating simpleness was an example of how major influencers can effect a change. You can call it the ‘innovation of the heart,’ which is an essence in Japanese culture.
“Originally, rice wine was created to offer to the gods in appreciation of the rice they’ve received, and the farmers continually improved the quality of the rice wine. Of course, they drank the rice wine, but the starting point was appreciation towards nature, and the entertainment was the side benefit. Unfortunately, these days the entertainment value is prioritized, and with it, we have forgotten about the environment.”
Decarbonization in the city: cities can be sustainable, too
It is easy to think that cities are undesirable because of their lack of sustainability, especially of Japan’s consumption society. But that thinking needs a shift because we can make cities sustainable.
Kato: “We don’t need to think that we can only live sustainably in rural areas. City living activities can include growing your own vegetables and herbs, paying attention to food loss, and composting. You can make a switch to renewable energy companies. Instead of keeping your money with megabanks, you can keep it with an internet bank. Your shopping behaviors count, too, like refusing plastic bags and shopping at a bulk store.
“It is unlikely everyone will move into rural areas, as humans will naturally choose to move towards convenience. So how can we create a sustainable, regenerative city? Growing a city that uses carbon, like utilizing wooden architecture. We can also promote a sharing economy, especially how cities tend to divide people, which promotes mass production to meet mass demand. There are ways to achieve urban sustainability and urban well-being.”
