●当フォーラムの紹介

当フォーラムは京都市を拠点とし、さまざまな主体のパートナーシップで持続可能な社会の実現を目指す組織です。

●ワーキンググループ

当フォーラムでは、ワーキンググループ（WG）という名の分科会を複数設け、さまざまな取組を行っています。

●情報倉庫

当フォーラムの活動紹介をはじめ、京都市を中心とした、さまざまな環境情報を発信する広報活動を行っています。

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Kyoto Local Agenda 21 Forum

Community-Based Climate Change Prevention in Kyoto

Kyoto Local Agenda 21 Forum, founded in November of 1998, is the organization responsible for implementing Kyoto’s Local Agenda 21 Plan and as well as climate change-related initiatives. By forming partnerships between citizens, local businesses, and the Kyoto municipal government, the Forum acts as a roundtable by which organizations and individuals from all walks of life can work together to build a more environmentally-friendly society.

Kyoto Local Agenda 21 was created in 1997 while the city was preparing to host COP3, the international climate change conference that led to the signing of the Kyoto Protocol. Kyoto Local Agenda 21 stresses the following five goals:

  1. To create an energy and resource-efficient society
  2. To promote green economic networks
  3. To promote ecologically-sensitive industrial development
  4. To make Kyoto a center for eco-tourism
  5. To build an environmentally-friendly transportation system

Kyoto Local Agenda 21 also places high emphasis on meeting the Kyoto Municipal Government’s goal to reduce local greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions 10% from 1990 levels by the year 2010. Total emissions in Kyoto in 2000 are estimated to be 8.2 million tons of CO2 equivalent, or about 0.6% of all emissions in Japan. Business-as-usual projections suggest that emissions may increase as much as 18% by the year 2010, highlighting the need for Kyoto to take vigorous action if it hopes to meet its reduction goal.

The Forum itself consists of four main components: general membership (individual and organization), theme-specific volunteer-based working groups, permanent staff members, and an independent board of directors. As of June 2008 the Forum had 546 members, 255 as individuals and 291 as organizations. At the current time there are five working groups:

These groups serve two major functions: helping to coordinate and support efforts of member individuals and organizations, and designing and implementing the Forum’s own programs. The actions of the Forum’s working groups are vital to the success of all of its activities, including those related to climate change.

The staffing system of the Forum is particularly unusual in Japan, as it includes both current employees of the Kyoto Municipal Environment Bureau as well as non-municipal employees, many of whom were formerly employed by local environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs). At the current time there are nine full-time and one part-time staff, along with several student interns and other volunteers. The staff contribute specialized knowledge about the environment as well experience in organizing and facilitation. They work to coordinate the activities of the working groups, and also to produce and distribute informational materials such as monthly and quarterly newsletters, an e-mail mailing list, and an Internet homepage.

The board of directors oversees the working groups’ and staff’s operations. Membership draws broadly from the local community, with business representatives, NGO directors, citizen leaders, and local academics joining municipal government executives in providing leadership to the Forum. This diverse representation helps to improve the effectiveness of the Forum by providing a wide range of perspectives and by creating networks whereby local resources can be mobilized to aid in its activities.

The Forum’s operating budget of 25 million yen (about 200,000 USD) is supplied by annual membership dues of about 1000 yen (about 8 USD) and through grant support from the municipal government. These funds are largely devoted to covering the personnel costs of the Forum. Office space is provided by the municipal government at the Kyoto Municipal Center For Promotion of Environment Protection, a new, environmentally-friendly public facility completed in 2002 devoted to improving environmental education in Kyoto and supporting local citizen activism. Funds to support working group and member projects are also collected through grants from various external agencies, including the national Ministry of the Environment (MoE) and Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI).

During its first five years in existence, Kyoto Local Agenda 21 Forum has established a solid track record of leveraging Kyoto’s significant local resources in support of sustainable development efforts. In recognition of these accomplishments, the Forum has received a number of prestigious awards, including the MoE’s Commendation for Climate Change Prevention Activity. The Forum has also served as a model for other local governments seeking to start Agenda 21 programs, as well as influenced sections in Japan’s national global warming policy related to cooperation with local governments.

Selected Climate Change-Related Activities

The Green Transportation Plan:

In 2000, the transport sector was responsible for approximately 25% of all GHG emissions in Kyoto, and, with an annual growth rate of over 2%, represents the greatest challenge to Kyoto in meeting its GHG emission reduction target. The link between land-use, transportation planning and environmental protection has become increasingly clear in recent years, and has been the subject of considerable interest here.In particular, using changes in infrastructure and traffic-flow patterns to reduce the attractiveness of the private automobile, known as transportation demand management (TDM), has a particular following in Kyoto. Simulation research conducted at Kyoto University concluded that the introduction of TDM measures in Kyoto’s city center could reduce transportation GHG emissions by over 14%.

Armed with this information, the Forum set out to think about how TDM measures might be introduced in downtown Kyoto. Working with a broad coalition of local transportation experts, members of Kyoto’s merchants associations (which are increasingly concerned about the impact of traffic congestion on local businesses), and a handful of Japanese construction companies for over a year, the Forum presented its vision for the future of transportation in Kyoto in November, 2001. The "Kyoto Local Agenda 21 Forum's Green Transportation Plan" aims to improve downtown Kyoto while reducing GHG emissions through measures to improve the attractiveness of public and non-motorized modes of transportation such as walking and bicycling relative to the private automobile. By converting space now devoted to road traffic into sidewalks and bike lanes, the plan aims to get people out of their cars and on more environmentally-friendly modes of transportation. The plan also calls for the creation of a downtown transit mall, the establishment of restrictions on drive-through traffic on side streets, and the creation of pedestrian and bicycle-friendly infrastructure such as sidewalk benches and vertical bicycle parking.

Of course, a plan must be implemented in order to have true value. Recognizing this, the Forum has coordinated a variety of activities aimed at increasing public awareness about the plan. With help from the leaders of Kyoto’s 16 merchants associations, the "Group for the Promotion of a Walkable, Livable City" was established. This group has held symposia, created a full color pamphlet outlining the plan, and established an Internet home web page. The annual "Walk the City Center" day implements some of the Green Transportation Plan’s proposals on a temporary basis, including the creation of a transit mall, the operation of a low polluting, barrier-free German shuttle bus, and the establishment of charged bicycle parking lots. Finally, the Forum has cooperated with the municipal government and local academics to form a City Center Transportation Strategy Group that meets regularly to discuss the implementation of the plan. It is hoped that, through forming these broad partnerships, the day will come when the plan is transformed from vision to reality.

The KES Environmental Management System:

Industrial and commercial sources are responsible for roughly two-fifths (41%) of Kyoto’s GHG emissions. In recent years, businesses concerned about the impacts of their operations on the natural environment have increasingly adopted environmental management systems (EMS) as a way to measure and improve their environmental performance. The most well-known of these is the international management standard ISO 14001, which provides consumers information about the environmental performance of the companies from which they purchase. While large companies are increasingly being certified ISO 14001 compliant, it is often difficult for small and medium-sized enterprises to do so. Such businesses form the backbone of Kyoto’s economy (accounting for over 90% of all local businesses), and research shows that many of them would like to adopt an EMS but lack the expertise and money to do so. Realizing this need, the Forum decided to create its own low-cost, easy-to-understand EMS. The KES Environmental Management System Standard is that result of those efforts.

KES follows the same general outline as ISO 14001 ? companies set their own environmental performance goals, create manuals detailing measures that will be taken to meet those goals, and periodically monitor performance indicators. The KES Certification Division, a special division of the Forum, was established to act as the inspection and certification authority for the KES program. Division staff, many of who are retired ISO 14001 inspectors, work on a voluntary basis to provide consulting, inspection, and certification services. KES offers the following advantages to local small and medium-size businesses:

Since beginning operations in May 2001, the Forum has provided KES certification for 255 organizations, of which 248 are businesses or municipal operations and 7 are local schools. Of these, over half (55%) are located outside of the city of Kyoto, attesting to broad attractiveness of the system. A recent survey of certified businesses has demonstrated substantial environmental benefits attributable to participation, with an average annual emissions reduction of 11 tons CO2 equivalent per business. Combined with the economic benefits of creating more efficient production systems, these environmental benefits have led local governments as far away as Iwate and Aomori in northern Japan to adopt systems based on KES.

Energy Efficiency Labeling Campaign:

Household energy use is responsible for an estimated 23% of all GHG emissions in Kyoto in 2000, and is the second fastest growing source after transportation. Japanese companies are leaders in the development of energy efficiency technologies, but with a very weak national energy efficiency labeling system, all too often this information is not transmitted to consumers. Kyoto Local Agenda 21 Forum, in cooperation with the Kiko Network and other local environmental non-profit organizations, designed and implemented a pilot project for energy efficiency labeling to help consumers reduce their energy bills while also preventing climate change. A local design firm, GK Kyoto, cooperated in creating a distinctive and easy-to-understand label.

The model project was conduct from March to May of 2003 at 18 appliance stores throughout the city. Air conditioners and refrigerators, which consume around 40% of all household electricity in Japan, were targeted for labeling. Products were labeled on a five-point scale, from AAA to C, based upon the extent to which they exceeded the national government’s 2003 "top runner" efficiency standards. In addition to the grade labeling, the label also provided an estimation of the energy costs associated with the operation of the appliance under normal conditions, allowing the consumer to easily understand the economic advantages of buying more efficient appliances. Large posters were put up in stores providing details about the system, and a series of training sessions were held for both employees and consumers with further interest.

The results of the pilot project were encouraging. Over 80% of survey respondents said that they found the label easy to understand. Initial data also suggest that the label was successful in motivating consumers to purchase more efficient appliances, with an estimated 8% efficiency improvement in air conditioners purchased under the program. Plans are currently underway to conduct a longer project, most likely involving around 100 stores and an expanded list of products, in the near future. Such efforts will be coordinated with other local governments promoting energy efficiency, most notably the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, in order to increase pressure on the national government to adopt the system in the future.

Providing Citizen Input on Kyoto’s Local Climate Change Ordinance:

In March of 2003, the Kyoto Municipal Government announced plans to draft Japan’s first local climate change ordinance, to take effect in April 2004. With its substantial experience in designing and implementing climate change-related programs, the Forum has taken a central role in working with the local administration in creating an ordinance in which Kyoto can take pride. A special Climate Change Ordinance project team was established within the Forum to coordinate the efforts of members wishing to provide input. Team members include local experts on transportation, environmental economics, and local administration as well as representatives of business groups, environmental NGOs, and the municipal government itself.

Sub-groups established around four themes, lifestyle change, energy, transportation, and business/industry, are in the process of drafting detailed proposals for policies for inclusion in the ordinance. In addition to these specific policy proposals, the project team is in the process of preparing its own draft version of the ordinance, with plans to submit it to Kyoto’s Environmental Advisory Council and, ultimately, to the mayor himself. Several open meetings have been held in order to provide an outlet at which the concerns of stakeholders might voiced and incorporated into the Forum’s proposals. Special sessions with City Council members and representatives of the mass media are also in the planning stage.

The Forum’s contributions to the drafting of Kyoto’s climate change ordinance represent a clear break from past patterns of Japanese local governance, where too often the apathy of the electorate, combined with the limited capacity of local legislatures, creates a condition of maximum inertia and minimum progress. We hope that our efforts will be reflected in the local ordinance, and believe that, in the process, it will be improved substantially as a result.

An Outline for the Future

Despite the efforts outlined above, there remains much to be accomplished. While building upon its previous successes, the Forum is committed to continuing to push the boundaries of local environmental policymaking in Japan through a cycle of constant innovation. Unfortunately, traditional divisions within the local administration, combined with difficulties in coordination, continue to present substantial barriers to local development and climate change prevention. It is our hope that Kyoto’s climate change ordinance will create a new institutional structure even more amendable to the Forum’s activities. We, as representatives sustainableof the city that gave birth to the Kyoto Protocol, take our responsibility toward the global environment seriously. With hard work, perseverance, and a measure of luck, we hope that the world will eventually find that that the trust it has given to Kyoto, the cradle of climate change prevention, has been well-placed indeed.

Contact Information:

In you have questions regarding the Forum, or would like to take part in its activities, please contact us by one of the following means.

Kyoto Local Agenda 21 Forum
Tel: +81(0)75-647-3535
Fax: +81(0)75-647-3536
E-mail: ma21f@mbox.kyoto-inet.or.jp
Fukakusa-ikenouchi-cho 13, Fushimi-ku, Kyoto 612-0031 JAPAN

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