112
if they spend those extra 3 years on the island when they are at such an impressionable age, there is sure to be a big difference in their feelings and a deepening of their
affection for their hometown. In actual fact, quite a few students who graduate from
Dozen Senior High School leave the island saying that they will return after they
have finished their university education. Right now many places around Japan are
trying to copy the successful Dozen Senior High School initiative. This is because
the initiative has proved its worth.
6.1.4 Contributing to Lowering Carbon in Asia from Actual
Experiences (Kitakyushu)
Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture has long been a city with heavy and chemical
industries, focused mainly on steelworks. In the 1960s the city experienced serious
pollution issues. The city’s residents demanded to have their blue sky restored and
various countermeasures were implemented. As a result, by the beginning of the
1990s the city was able to overcome its pollution issues. This result was brought
about by collaboration amongst various stakeholders including the residents of
Kitakyushu, the city office, corporations and the national government. The city of
Kitakyushu became the focus of attention from other cities in Japan and also cities
overseas which were experiencing similar problems. At the World Summit on
Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002, the “Kitakyushu Initiative”
was incorporated in the Plan of Implementation, for municipalities around the world
to learn from the experiences of Kitakyushu. In 2013, the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) selected Kitakyushu City as part of its
Green City Program along with Paris, Stockholm, and Chicago (Fig. 6.3).
In 2010, Kitakyushu city established the “Kitakyushu Asian Center for Low
Carbon Society.” As well as aiming to vitalize the regional economy through ecobusiness, the Center acts as a core facility for contributing to green growth which
makes economic growth compatible with environmental conservation in Asia. The
“Kitakyushu Model” is composed of five categories that have a major impact on
urban environments. The categories are management of waste, town water, sewage,
and energy, as well as environmental conservation and traffic control. These categories are then further systemized and structuralized with three main elements: roles;
processes; and outcomes. This is all managed in a cloud-based database. As it was
anticipated that this would be used in countries outside of Japan, from the beginning
the database was set up in English and then translated into Japanese and Chinese so
that it can be used in three different languages. The database has the records of various actions that have been taken from the past through to the present. It also includes
mistakes from the past which serve as lessons for the future.
The Asian Center for Low Carbon Society supports cities in various Asian countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand, in resolving urban
environmental problems. As a model environmental city, Kitakyushu may be more
famous in Asia rather than in Japan. In the future, the Center intends to cover not
only low carbon but also sustainable economy and ageing.
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society
if they spend those extra 3 years on the island when they are at such an impressionable age, there is sure to be a big difference in their feelings and a deepening of their
affection for their hometown. In actual fact, quite a few students who graduate from
Dozen Senior High School leave the island saying that they will return after they
have finished their university education. Right now many places around Japan are
trying to copy the successful Dozen Senior High School initiative. This is because
the initiative has proved its worth.
6.1.4 Contributing to Lowering Carbon in Asia from Actual
Experiences (Kitakyushu)
Kitakyushu in Fukuoka prefecture has long been a city with heavy and chemical
industries, focused mainly on steelworks. In the 1960s the city experienced serious
pollution issues. The city’s residents demanded to have their blue sky restored and
various countermeasures were implemented. As a result, by the beginning of the
1990s the city was able to overcome its pollution issues. This result was brought
about by collaboration amongst various stakeholders including the residents of
Kitakyushu, the city office, corporations and the national government. The city of
Kitakyushu became the focus of attention from other cities in Japan and also cities
overseas which were experiencing similar problems. At the World Summit on
Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg in 2002, the “Kitakyushu Initiative”
was incorporated in the Plan of Implementation, for municipalities around the world
to learn from the experiences of Kitakyushu. In 2013, the Organization for Economic
Co-operation and Development (OECD) selected Kitakyushu City as part of its
Green City Program along with Paris, Stockholm, and Chicago (Fig. 6.3).
In 2010, Kitakyushu city established the “Kitakyushu Asian Center for Low
Carbon Society.” As well as aiming to vitalize the regional economy through ecobusiness, the Center acts as a core facility for contributing to green growth which
makes economic growth compatible with environmental conservation in Asia. The
“Kitakyushu Model” is composed of five categories that have a major impact on
urban environments. The categories are management of waste, town water, sewage,
and energy, as well as environmental conservation and traffic control. These categories are then further systemized and structuralized with three main elements: roles;
processes; and outcomes. This is all managed in a cloud-based database. As it was
anticipated that this would be used in countries outside of Japan, from the beginning
the database was set up in English and then translated into Japanese and Chinese so
that it can be used in three different languages. The database has the records of various actions that have been taken from the past through to the present. It also includes
mistakes from the past which serve as lessons for the future.
The Asian Center for Low Carbon Society supports cities in various Asian countries including Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand, in resolving urban
environmental problems. As a model environmental city, Kitakyushu may be more
famous in Asia rather than in Japan. In the future, the Center intends to cover not
only low carbon but also sustainable economy and ageing.
6 Platinum Industry and a New Society