August 8 declared ‘End Overly Hot Summers’ day in JapanーNHK WORLD-JAPAN NEWS
Japan is in the grip of a scorching summer with temperatures in many parts of the country hitting record highs this week. And experts believe the historic heat is closely linked to climate change. Now, a coalition of businesses in Japan is focusing attention on the issue by declaring August 8th end overly hot summer’s day. For more, we’re joined by NHK World correspondent Mia Motoya reporting from central Tokyo. It look like it looks like it’s pretty hot out there today. Yes, Tokyo and much of Japan have had another week of dangerous heat with temperatures topping 40° C. It actually is up a little today, but I still start sweating as soon as I step outside. Of course, it’s much hotter for people who have to spend the whole day working outdoors. That’s been the forecast of a news conference held on Friday by a coalition called the Japan Climate Leaders Partnership. It’s a group of about 230 companies from a wide range of industries which launched in 2009 within the aim of achieving a carbon-f free society. The group makes environmental policy proposals to the government and showcases companies that are leading the way in decarbonization. I think the heat is making it pretty dangerous for people to work. I hope this will be an opportunity for us to go from talking about climate change as an issue far removed from our own experience and start thinking about it as a reality that we’re facing right now. So, there’s no denying that summers are getting hotter, but a lot of people probably think there’s nothing they can do about it. So, how do you change that mindset? It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when you think about climate change. The group thinks it’s easier to grasp the issue by focusing on specific examples of how it is impacting people’s lives. I think everyone is becoming more aware of the issue, but that only gets us so far. We hope the system will be changed and policies put in place, and that will require the understanding and support of society as a whole. The news conference featured a video showing the severe conditions faced by construction workers moving from construction sites to amusement parks. It also highlighted the pressures facing the costumed performers. An organization representing these workers said they have been forced to cut their performance times by about 2/3 due to the heat. So now that they’ve declared August 8th end overly hot summer’s day, what comes next? Well, the group is still working on that part. It wants the government to be more ambitious in its environmental policy, but by making the issue feel more personal and human scale. It also hopes to create public support for change. The Japan Metropological Agency forecast that average temperatures will remain higher than usual through fall and it expects the summer heat to linger for a long time. So unfortunately we won’t be getting much relief anytime soon and we need to keep taking measures to protect against heat struct like staying hydrated and using air conditioners as required. Thanks VPA.
A business coalition is focusing attention on the need for action against climate change, by highlighting the toll sweltering temperatures take on ordinary workers. #japan #weather #climate
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