Japanese industries challenged to adapt to climate change effects

Global warming often brings to mind its most extreme and dangerous effects. Many of us rightfully think of deadly heatwaves and rising seawater levels. Yet climate change also causes other problems that are more subtle but still damaging.

Japanese agriculture and other industries will be particularly affected. In some cases, this means damage to staple Japanese crops. In others, it may mean a shift regarding areas that are ideal for producing certain foods. Regardless, climate change is giving Japan challenges that it must learn to adapt to.

In fact, Japan’s Ministry of the Environment released its Climate Change Adaptation Plan in 2018. It outlines the effects of climate change on seven different fields, from agriculture to the lives of ordinary citizens.

Rising temperatures affecting Japanese agriculture

For agriculture, the biggest concerns are damage caused during cultivation as well as decrease in product quality. For example, higher temperatures can lead to cracked grains in rice, which break apart more easily during milling. The heat can also decrease yields in certain parts of Japan. Hotter temperatures damage fruits in various ways, such as sunburn or discoloration. Animal products are also at risk, with climate change decreasing the amount of usable cow’s milk as well as beef, pork and chicken.

The effects of climate change depend on the region, and they can even differ in the same country. Japan is no different. Rising temperatures also mean a shift in areas that are suitable for producing certain crops. Northern Honshu is famous for its production of apples, but a three-degree increase in temperatures may see Hokkaido become more suitable for the fruit by the 2060s.

Climate change and new industry realities will change our way of life

These shifts may impact local businesses and introduce new regional competitors for certain food products. Ehime Prefecture is famous for its mandarin oranges, with various souvenirs being made from the fruit. However, if local climates in other prefectures become suitable for mandarin oranges, that could mean decreased business for Ehime.

Global warming will also inevitably affect the tourism industry. It is predicted that between 2030 and 2050, the amount of snowfall and snow accumulation will decrease except in parts of Honshu and Hokkaido. This will impact business at ski resorts. Rising sea levels may also deal a blow to coastal areas that depend on tourism, particularly with decreased sand at beaches.

Can the Climate Change Adaptation Plan save industries?

The Plan also gives suggestions on how to adapt to these effects. These include the introduction and development of technologies that help decrease or mitigate some of the most harmful impacts of climate change. Some examples are crop varieties that are more heat resistant, as well as dealing with the effects of heat on livestock.

Global warming’s impact on Japanese agriculture shows us some of the less obvious issues that can still affect our lives. We could see damage or decreases in foods that we currently take for granted, and businesses will have to find ways to adapt to both climate change and new industry realities.

The world should be doing all it can to reduce carbon emissions and its reliance on fossil fuels. That said, at this point, we are likely to have to deal with some of the effects of climate change regardless. While industries can adapt to some extent, it is still up to all of us to do what we can before we completely lose our way of life.