Common problems and responses in cities in the Pan Yellow Sea Zone

3. Common Environmental Problems and Measures for Enhancing

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The city made an additional investment in EOP (end of pipe) including exhaust gas treatment. As such, it secured comprehensive environmental pollution facilities combining CP and EOP.

Example of pollution reduction through the combination of CP and EOP of the steel industry in Kitakyushu City: Sulfurous acid gas was reduced from 27,575 tons in 1970 to 607 tons in 1990. Actually, 75% was attributed to CP, e.g., converting to fuel, energy and resources savings. The remaining 25% was an EOP effect, e.g., treatment at the discharge openings and desulfurization and dust collection facilities.

(2) Environment policies of Kitakyushu City

The environment policies of Kitakyushu City have been implemented through strengthened administrative measures. These include regulations and monitoring in sewer and wastewater treatment. Institutional provisions for the establishment of environmental pollution prevention ordinances have also been stipulated.

Kitakyushu City set strict discharge criteria according to environmental laws and regulations. It also stipulated the punishment for violation and compensation responsibility of businesses generating the causes of health damage in 1970.

Furthermore, the city installed automatic gauges in many places and set up a central monitoring bureau equipped with a telemeter system. Intensive monitoring was also implemented.

In 1972, the environmental pollution prevention ordinance was enforced to promote environmental pollution prevention administration.

Kitakyushu has been establishing an environmental pollution prevention plan every 10 years since 1972. As such, it has come up with proven environmental pollution prevention measures.

The city began the maintenance of public sewers in 1967. It introduced a beneficiary charge system that is fully understood by its citizens, thanks to the production of enlightening documentaries and road shows.

At the end of 2005, sewer maintenance was almost completed with a 99.8% provision rate.

In 1971, segregated household waste collection was enforced. Likewise, the segregation of cans and bottles and the paid waste bag system were implemented in the 1990s. The idea was to promote energy recovery from waste and reduction of waste generation.

Electricity is generated from the incinerated heat coming from 3 incinerators. Any redundant electricity is sold.

Kitakyushu opened a seaside landfill for the long-term, stable treatment of waste in 1980.

(3) Compact City (urban design) approach

The urban plan of Kitakyushu has been promoted as a direction for compact city development. Such was based on land use restrictions in the suburban area, reintroduction of city function in the central zone, light electric railway, environmentally sustainable transportation (EST), BRT, and bicycle-only roads.

In particular, the use of cars has been controlled to reduce greenhouse gas generation. The city also promoted new regenerated energy use in residential and commercial facilities.

As a result, it reduced greenhouse gas generation due to the use of fossil fuels.

The volume of CO2 emission in Kitakyushu was reduced by more than 3%, thanks to the emission reduction in the industrial sector. CO2 generation rose in the residential, business, and transportation sectors, however.

Therefore, the city came up with the Kitakyushu Regional Promotion Plan Against Global Warming in 2006.

<Table 4- 1> CO₂ Emission Reduction Plan 2010 Residential sector (per household)

Business sector (per floor area) Transportation sector (per vehicle)

10% reduction compared to 2002

Source: 2008 website of Kitakyushu, International Environmental Cooperation http://www.city.kitakyushu.jp

As a leading industrial city in Japan, Kitakyushu also boasts of a rich nature.

It was designated to promote symbiosis between the city and nature for the

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future. Thus, the city adopted a Basic Plan for Natural Environment Preservation.

The city plans to build eco-symbiotic houses to reduce CO2 emission by 30%. As such, it introduced solar energy generation with capacity of about 200kW and state-of-the-art energy-saving device.

To promote the reduction of waste and to recover energy from waste, Kitakyushu adopted a Basic Plan for General Waste Processing. Through such plan, the city sought to come up with a waste treatment measure based on the previous Recycling measures. Such measure shall be developed into a comprehensive policy including the expansion of demand for recycled goods (green purchase) based on the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle), i.e., formation of a zero-waste society.

Based on this plan, Kitakyushu has promoted a waste paper collection measure (2004), an industrial waste processing measure (2004), and a re-review of the household waste collection system (2006).

<Table 4- 2> Basic Plan for General Waste Processing in Kitakyushu Basic idea Shift from Recycling to Zero waste.

Period 10 years, from 2000 to 2010

Target 5% reduction through “Reduce” and “Reuse”

Improvement in recycling rate from 13% to 25%

Source: 2008 website of Kitakyushu, International Environmental Cooperation http://www.city.kitakyushu.jp

(4) Citizen participation-type environment industry development

The city made the most out of its citizens’ participation and communities. As a result, environment industry development has been promoted under the motto “fostering talented personnel specializing in the environment.”

An eco-life event was held. An environment passport project and an environmental education project have also been implemented.

Environment passport project: This system was built to expand participation. Here, environment points are distributed using the local currency structure including environmental cards and environmental seals. This system allows the environment participants to enjoy the benefits.

Card project: Environment points are accumulated using the card. The behavioral history is also recorded. In other words, one’s contribution to the environment can be confirmed by records indicating the CO2 emission reduction volume. All points can be used in exchange for eco-products or donation to NPO. Thus, this project can be linked to much more significant environmental actions.

Seal project: The “No shopping bag campaign” is one of the most effective mechanisms for changing the environmental behavior of citizens. If one refuses the proffered shopping bag, one gets a seal. A minimum of 20 accumulated points can be exchanged for a 50 Yen discount voucher at member stores.

The Kitakyushu Eco-Town project is promoted as an exclusive local policy integrating the industrial promotion policy and the environment preservation policy. It is aimed at building a zero-waste society.

It has been comprehensively implemented with approval from the central government in 1997. The project covers education and basic research in the environment sector as well as technology development, empirical research, and commercialization. It is linked with nearby Kitakyushu as an academic research city.

(5) Lessons from the Kitakyushu experience and direction of policy on climate change

In response to the environmental pollution in the industrial development age, environmental pollution by industrial facilities is checked. Specifically, sewer and waste treatment facilities are installed. Responses to CP and EOP-oriented industrial production and local government’s restrictions are also made.

China is in the industrial development age. CP and EOP-related industrial cooperation enables cooperating with Korea and Japan. This forms the mainstream of cooperative relationships.

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In response to environmental pollution after the industrial development age, the clean development system’s environment economy forms the mainstream. It is based on the city design and climate change.

For the cooperation between the cities in Japan and Korea, collaboration in the fields of city design and environment economy is expected to be strengthened.

Cooperation with China is partly possible.

Kitakyushu attempts to expand environmental awareness as an environment response. In particular, it induces the reform of environmental awareness of citizens and motivates them to participate.

A new realization has been formed, i.e., environmental awareness cannot be spread without the activation of citizens’ participation. This is made possible through symbiotic buildings and various environmental education and events.

Kitakyushu implements environmental reform in both the consumption process and production process. Specifically, it expands the scope to the consumers’ purchase of environmental goods. It goes beyond the concept of recycling for resource conservation purposes.

Such concept is an advanced one in the world. The environmental concept has been formed by shifting from the existing preservation to environmental production; from zero-waste state, it pursues environmental consumption.

This connotes a circular self-contained process. Moreover, it strongly suggests that the environment is integrated as an economic mechanism.

2) Measures for inter-city environmental cooperation in the Pan Yellow