Adaptation to International Climate

Japanese government released a draft of adaptation plan to reduce impact of global warming on its society and economy for next ten years. Planned measures included reinforcing infrastructure to minimize damage caused by flood or developing new technology to block harmful insects around rice pad. While it should be a progress for the Japanese to step from mitigation into adaptation, its governmental measures are always inclined to top-down style concepts.

The plan was made in seven fields: natural industry, water resource, ethnic cycle, natural disaster, health, business and daily life. The government of Japan is going to discuss how the plan will meet regional demands. The plan is expected to be authorized by Shinzo Abe Cabinet before the beginning of the Twenty-first Conference of Parties of United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Paris next month.

With anticipation of short and concentrated heavy rain, the draft encourages building stronger levees along major rivers to buy time for evacuation. While seeking solidity of infrastructure, it also recommends the people moving their houses from lower land to hills. Nemuro, located the most eastern city in Japan, suffered from high tide of Pacific Ocean several times this year, which was suspected as affected by rise of temperature of seawater. Japanese government seemed to regard the phenomenon as preventable by higher concrete wall against tide.

The government is also active in protecting Japan’s one of the main agricultural products: rice. The draft required the government to develop new method of preventing tropical disease of rice or severe impact of climate change by 2019. To maintain health of the people, the plan proposes new preventive measures against heatstroke or introducing robot in heavy labor under the sun.

With expectation of growing number of Japanese deer, the plan recommends making new method of controlling them. To deal with scarcity of drinking water, it requires higher technology of reusing rainwater or sewage. For the region losing seasonal businesses, including ski resorts or coastal area, the government may be recommending new business model.

All those measures are tools to appeal Japan’s readiness for climate change in the international society. Receiving requests of adaptation measures from developing countries suffering from severe impact of global warming, developed countries are becoming active in presenting effective efforts. Not only European nations, but the government of China or Republic of Korea, has determined adaptation plan. It is an defensive action for the government of Japan to make original plan of adaptation.