In my essay, I am going to discuss Japan's strategy regarding environmental problems after 1960 based on the lectures of Konttinen, Kingston and Hasegawa and the provided text from Revell. I will start with a brief recap of the major pollution incidents and the changes and main actors in policy-making. I am going to continue with a short comparison of the public's attitude towards nuclear energy before and after the Fukushima disaster. Finally, I will argue whether Japan can be considered to be an ecological frontrunner nation.
Over the course of the past fifty years, Japan had to deal with a great number of environmental problems. The Ashio copper mine incident was one of the most significant cases in the 19th century, when as a result of
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Kingston described the phenomenon as" the nuclear village promoting nuclear energy". Before 2011, the majority of citizens supported the use of existing nuclear reactors, not realizing that earthquakes significantly increase risks concerning nuclear safety. However, as Hasegawa concluded, the disaster forced the public to face the real risks and public support has now shifted to renewable …show more content…
The country has been applauded by various reviews and annual reports for the successful rehabilitation of urban air quality, recovery of major waterways, and advanced industrial controls. Investigating climate change, sustainable material cycles, waste disposal systems and developing energy sources and the reduction of carbon dioxide omission are key priorities in the policy-making, and the government is committed to photovoltaic research and hybrid cars. Japanese industry inarguably excels in finding technical solutions to environmental problems, . Even so, Japan is receiving growing criticism about its environmental politics.
Japan's environmental politics were criticised for being “symbolic” and reactive to international pressure. Revell argues a number of factors are hindering the environmental reform in Japan, including the "dense webs of vested interest" , the "limited civil society counter-powers", and the lack of "political modernisation". The author concludes that in order to truly become an ecological frontrunner nation, Japan would need a more participatory and transparent government, an empowered NGO and small firm sector, and a more proactive
During the time of 1941 the Japanese economy began to bloom exponentially in the industrial and militarily fields. Japan’s growth occurred due to the trade provided to the country due to its low resources. Acquiring Oil and Metals it allowed the Country to become a contender in their cause against the Allies. However, during this period Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) had his own interests and goals of the war time.
The resultant is a nearly pure ingot of silver. Silver refineries carried a high environmental cost because of deforestation, overgrazing and erosion from the tens of thousands of animals, and poisoning of the
However, the constant urbanization of Japanese cities does not allow one to do as McCandless did. Young Japanese people are surrounded by urban landscapes and concrete jungles. This disconnect from nature poses yet another threat to modern Japan's drastic fall in
Chernobyl, Ukraine. April 26, 1986. A nuclear reactor had exploded due to poorly trained workers and a badly executed monitoring procedure. It took over 600,000 emergency workers and firefighters to end the madness. By the end, 63,000 square miles of land were impacted and could not be used for crops.
There are many nations that are continuously changing. Japan is one of the nation that is continually changing not only economy, but also the culture. According to the book, “the Western world was increasingly impinging upon Japan..” which result isolation from Europe and American. In the document 19.1 it stated, “We have issued instructions on how to deal with foreign ships on numerous occasions up to the present”. This have shown that the Japanese have isolated from foreign.
In this paper, I will present the principal issues that caused the Japanese electorate to change its allegiance in the
Nuclear weaponry is subtly executed in the plot of Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury. Such as in the parts where it is stated that a war has begun, and where the plot concludes as the entire city is bombed from a distant view that is perceived from Guy Montag. Nuclear weaponry is becoming a more apparent subject in modern day society. The creation of nuclear weapons dates back all the way to 1941. Nuclear weapons have been executed on certain countries in historical times, however, contemporary nuclear weapons render an unimaginable amount of power that have catastrophic abilities if they are ever implemented onto the surface of our planet.
The Ok Tedi Copper Mine Define the main forms of pollution and resource depletion and identify the major problems associated with each form. The main type of pollution at the Ok Tedi Copper Mine is the discharging of mining waste into the Ok Tedi River in Papua New Guinea. The pollution problem began in 1984 following the collapse of a tailing dam used by the company that was responsible for mining copper and gold at the site. By 2000, more than 90 million tons of mine waste had been released into the river and destroyed tens of villages, farms, rainforests, and fisheries downstream.
“Nuclear power will help provide the electricity that our growing economy needs without increasing emissions. This is truly an environmentally responsible source of energy.” Michael Burgess Prior to the introduction of nuclear energy, fossil fuel was thought to be the only available source in producing energy. Although fossil fuel, such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas, contains high energy value, it produces too many harmful byproducts that ultimately pollute our environment. With the rising concerns over global warming as more and more greenhouse gases accumulate in our Earth’s atmosphere, many voice such opinions that new alternative, yet sustainable method must be adopted to produce energy.
By the end of the novel, it becomes evident that Oryx and Crake is entwined with significant social issues that help enrich and broaden the reader's understanding as they view the novel through the lens of the issue. Environmental issues is of great importance to the novel. Atwood’s overall argument about environmental issue present in Oryx and Crake has to do with human manipulation of nature. This is seen through genetic modification of animals to better suit our needs. ChickieNobs which were “Chicken parts” with “No eyes or beak or anything” (Atwood 78) is an example of humans using animals to benefit themselves.
Nuclear energy is something that we`ve all heard about. It carries risk and potential. When an atom (Uranium and Plutonium in nuclear power plants) is bombarded by neutrons, it can be split, causing fission. This fission releases more neutrons, which causes a chain reaction. Nuclear power plants use this use the heat that is created by fission to heat water that spins their turbines (“Nuclear Energy”).
When coal and other minerals were extracted from underground, they emited several metal waste which was harmful for the water. It is evident that the Indutrial Revolution caused a lot of evnviromental problems for individuals. Without social protest it is doubtful politicians would have responded to the environmental crisis…in the late 1960’s and ealry 1970’s (Halbert, par. 1). Individuals were conserned about their health and congress decided to pass the Clean Water Act of 1972 to reduce water
Japan is the one of the world’s developed countries. Japan is also one of the effected countries by the nuclear bomb during Second World War and it is still effecting the population and its environment. The main source of pollution in the country such as Japan doesn’t only arise from industrialization but many other factors. Water is the main sources for human being for survival. With an upcoming development and world’s global climate change are causing many degradation of water and its sources.
Review of Literature Environmental issues began to be discussed and debated only towards the end of the 20th century. Since then significant amount of literature has been penned down raising awareness about issues of pollution, deforestation, animal rights and several others however it has failed to result in major changes, ideas or even actions to save the environment. Several species of animals have become extinct; pollution level is at an all-time high, global warming is leading to severe climate changes all across the globe but these problems do not seem to alarm the decision makers. Leydier & Martin (2013) also states that, “despite the increasing expression of concern in political and media debates about issues such as climate change, pollution and threats to biodiversity, “political ecology” (operating at the confluence of scientific developments, political engagement and ethical debates) is still trying to find its bearings” (p.7). It is quite evident that environmental issues are not treated in equivalence to political, economic, social or even religious issues.
Following the industrial revolution, it took industrialized countries more than 200 years to establish a living standard under which an environmental movement could emerge. Furthermore, the gap worldwide between the rich and the poor is widening (OECD, 2015). As a reaction, the growing population from developing countries understandably demands equitable living conditions compared to citizens in Europe or the United States. However, establishing higher standards of living is opposed to concentrating efforts on reducing emissions. As a result there will be decades of ever-increasing GHGs globally, currently primarily caused by developed countries and by developing countries in the