Cool Clothes

This past week, the Japanese government launched Reiwa’s first energy-saving Cool Biz campaign, an annual effort to promote workplace energy conservation. The campaign is part of Japan’s larger policy of working to reduce their carbon footprint and combat global warming, and although it officially ends in September, Cool Biz aims to be a campaign with lasting impacts. As per the campaign, employees at participating companies show up to their place of work wearing cooler, light and airy clothing; for example, many donned short-sleeve Hawaiian shirts and passed on the necktie in order to make the 28 degree Celsius air-conditioned room temperature more bearable during the increasingly warm weather. This story highlights the greater effort being made by Japan to be conscious of the nation’s contribution to global warming, and is a tasteful and practical way of working to reduce carbon emissions.

Employees at a Japanese company during the Cool Biz campaign.

As of 2017, Japan's Ministry of Environment and five major Japanese utilities have been working together as part of the Ministry’s effort to promote a Japanese model of information-based C02-reducing behavioral changes in the residential sector. Japan aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions from by 26% by the year 2030 compared to 2013 levels. The Ministry commissioned a nationwide study to measure the potential of residential behavioral energy efficiency programmes as a means of reaching Japan’s CO2 emissions’ reduction goals. In order to reach this goal, a 40% reduction is required in residential-sector emissions alone. Cool Biz is just one of the Japanese government’s efforts to reach its energy goals.

Postwar Japan had always been firmly set in their goal to be self-sufficient in many regards, energy production being no exception. This being said, I find it admirable and perhaps something that other countries should take note of, that despite having this lofty goal, Japan has not let its “personal” desire to overshadow the greater pressure felt to pay heed to the globe’s declining environmental health. Cool Biz is just one example of Japanese efforts to reduce carbon emissions through behavioral changes in the population, and other countries should follow suit. In America’s case, in recent times there has been greater public recognition and support for greener practices and policy, yet without government cooperation and the adherence to green policies of major corporations, the public can only have so much impact. Japan’s continued commitment to being kind to the Earth is something America should follow suit.

Supplementary Articles:

https://www.smart-energy.com/news/japanese-utilities-oracle/