MEMORIAS 2007 21-10-07 .indd - Observatorio Ambiental de ...

FUKUYA IINO
seem to be too concerned as to whether we are actually reducing our environmental impact and
focus more on whether our management system is functioning and getting better.
There seems to be a problem in sustaining the EMS process and also interest from staff. While the
introduction of ISO14000 at the UNU brought a very positive impact on our activities initially, say
for the first two years. It appears that staff began to take things for granted and consequently we
began to see our energy consumption and waste generation rebound. So the question becomes
one of sustaining interest. But I guess this applies to how the environment is dealt with by societies
in general.
Dr. Brendan Barrett
Head of the UNU’s Media Studio
Japan’s policy on CO2 emission, waste management, and recycling
As the UNU’s headquarters is located in Tokyo, Japan, the UNU’s EMS cannot be successfully
accomplished without complying with the Japanese regulations on the waste management and
recycling. As an Annex I Party of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UN-
FCCC), Japan is mandated to cut its CO2 emission by 6% between 2008•2012 from the 1990’s
level. However, as of 2006, Japan’s emission is reaching +8% of the 1990’s level, and it needs to
reduce the emission by more than 14% of the current CO2 emission to meet the Kyoto Protocol’s
goal under the UNFCCC. A holistic approach to establishing a set of the effective policies has been
taken to attempt to reach the goal. As one of the approaches, the Japanese government has been
improving regulations to reduce material flows in the society by promoting 3R (reduce, reuse, &
recycle), recycling laws on home appliances, recyclable food resources, containers and packaging,
construction materials, and end - of - life vehicles. Please visit the Ministry of Japan’s website for
more information at http://www.env.go.jp/en/laws/
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IV SEMINARIO INTERNACIONAL UNIVERSIDAD Y AMBIENTE