To research leading global warming measures and/or sustainable energy policies of each local government.

We conducted questionnaire surveys of departments that deal with global warming measures in national prefectures and ordinance-designated cities.

Survey Items on Questionnaires

1. CO2 Emissions Reduction Targets
2. Renewable Energy Targets
3. Efforts on Green Power Certification System and That Using Solar Heat
4. Concrete Global Warming Measures and Expansion of Renewable Energy Policies
5. Promoters of Global Warming Measures and Cooperative Parties
6. Others

*Survey results were organized into questionnaire answers and were formatted; thus, contents do not always correspond with the obtained answers.
*Details of survey items 5 and 6 above are omitted.

• Most local governments set their CO2 emissions reduction targets at 6% by 2010, while Tokyo, Yokohama and some other cities took the initiative to set higher goals for the long term. Local governments with long-term or bold targets are creating concrete measures on climate change and renewable energy, revising local promotion projects, and applying to become environmental model cities.

CO2 Targets: View Policies of Prefectures
CO2 Targets: View Policies of Ordinance-designated Cities

• Due to the differences in energy input, production and share for individual categories, it is difficult to make comparisons; however, similarly to CO2 emissions reduction targets, most local governments set their goals for around 2010.
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government set its goals based on a demand-centered approach, with a target of 20% reduction for energy consumption, not energy supply, as well as using Green Electricity Certificates to increase supply; thus, the approach contributes to the promotion of renewable energy. (In other local governments, this demand-centered approach has also been introduced.)

Renewable energy targets: View Policies of Prefectures
Renewable energy targets: View Policies of Ordinance-designated Cities
Reference: "Expand the Supply: Expansion of Measures and Policies, Using Demand-Centered Approach (Tokyo)" (opens in new window) (Japanese only)

• Among the survey items, subsidies for photovoltaic facilities represented the most common renewable energy expansion policy.
• The number of local governments devising and reviewing climate change plans are increasing.
• Some local governments have introduced renewable energy sources, and have required energy-saving plans to be drawn up for new construction projects.

Concrete measures on climate change and renewable energy: View Policies of Prefectures
Concrete measures on climate change and renewable energy: View Policies of Ordinance-designated Cities

• Although Green Electricity Certificates are mainly used in special events, usage has increased when compared to a similar survey conducted last fiscal year.
• Usage of Green Electricity Certificates is now being seen in a number of situations: usage at public facilities; promotion of usage to add value in electricity bidding; and usage as a subsidiary scheme for photovoltaic generation.
• The Tokyo government has decided to work on building up the Green Power Certification System using Solar Heat, and to use it in solar heat support systems from fiscal 2009.

"CO2 targets", "Renewable energy targets" and "Concrete measures on climate change and renewable energy" in this survey can be summarized as follows:

• We found that efforts on environmental energy policies are more active as part of the concrete measures on climate change and renewable energy drawn up by local governments, and that introduction of renewable energy sources has increased, when compared to a similar survey conducted last fiscal year.
• Local governments are expected to promote their own advanced environmental energy policies, in addition to unifying scheme creation and improving cooperation between local governments.