Japan
Climate change impacts
It takes only 169 days for the average Canadian to produce as much greenhouse gases as the average Japanese will produce over the course of the entire year. Therefore, June 18th (169 days into the year) is "Climate Change Impacts in Japan Day."
Japan’s unique habitat is under the threat of drastic change due to climate change. Animals and plants living in mountainous area are in danger of extinction. Also, higher sea levels will result in shoreline erosion, which catastrophically hits fisheries as well as coral reefs in Southern Japan. Other predicted impacts include heat waves, and increased rates of diseases like malaria.
For more information about climate change in Japan, see the report, 'Climate Change and Its Impacts in Japan'.
Story
"My name is Asami Tetsuo. I was born into an ice-making family and our company has continued since 1890. I took over this business from my father 17 years ago. Because electrical refrigerators are now widely used in homes, and the demand for household cool-box ice has gone down, I use the natural ice I produce to make shaved ice, which I sell.
Natural ice can only be produced if two conditions are satisfied—the winter must be cold and there must be minimal snowfall.
This Chichibu area has traditionally been very good for ice-making because it gets very cold due to traditional cooling and it hardly ever snows. But in the last 10 years, the temperature in winter has not dropped and we have had large snowfalls. Because of this major change in the climate means, I feel that it is becoming very difficult to make decent ice."
To continue reading Asami Tetsuo's story, visit WWF's Climate Witness page.
Photo credit: WWF-Japan/OurPlanet-TV
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