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Mitsubishi Corporation
(MC), which in 2006 launched a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM)* project in Pakistan
to reduce the nitrous oxide (N2O) emissions of
a fertilizer manufacturer(reported in the 10/11 2006 issue of the Monitor),
will now launch similar projects in Uzbekistan.
After signing contracts with the State Joint Stock Company Uzkimyosanoat and the
country’s three largest fertilizer manufacturers (Navoi Azot, Maxam-Chirchiq
and Fergana Azot) for the development of CDM projects at these companies’
nitric acid plants, MC obtained approvals from the Uzbek government in October
2007. Approval from the Japanese government followed in December.
At the CDM Forum on Carbon Financng, held
in Uzbekistan’s capital Tashkent on October 29–30, 2007, Mr. Ichiro
Keida, Senior Vice President & |
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| Mr. Shigeru
Horie, General Manager, from MC, shakes hands with Mr. Ibragimov, Chairman of Uzkimyosanoat |
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General Manager of MC,
presented the company’s own activities under the Kyoto Protocol as well
as the current state of CO2 reduction efforts in
Japan.
The projects, for which MC supplies know-how,
funds and technology, are the first CDMs in Central Asia and some of the biggest
of their kind. The aim is to reduce the plants’ N2O
emissions by 5–6 million tons CO2-equivalent
by the end of 2012. N2O is a major greenhouse gas
that, due to its persistence in the atmosphere, contributes to global warming
310 times more than CO2 per unit of weight over
a given time period.
MC is currently registering the projects with the CDM Executive Board, which operats
under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The
company will continue to actively develop CDM projects in Central Asia and other
areas.
* Clean Development Mechanism (CDM): The Kyoto Protocol allows companies from
industrialized countries to invest in emission-reducing projects in developing
countries, and thereby gain carbon credits that count toward their own CO2
reduction targets. |
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Mangrove forests, which support complex
ecosystems and help protect against tsunamis and soil erosion, are vital to people
in tropical and subtropical coastal regions. Yet, environmental detruction has
taken a heavy toll.
Tokio
Marine & Nichido Fire Insurance, which has actively replanted mangroves
since 1999 under its “Mangrove Reforestation Project,” launched in
October 2006 a highly interactive website in Japanese, called “mangrove-word,”
to spread information about the project. Featuring a highly interactive approach,
impressive visuals and music by world-renowned Ryuichi Sakamoto, the website won
the Grand Prix |
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| A
screenshot from “mangrove-world” |
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of the 47th Advertisement
Beneficial to Consumers Contest 2007, an authortative consumer advertisement contest
in Japan. An English version of the website followed in October 2007.
The “mangrove-world” not only
brims with information on mangrove forests and the company’s reforestation
activities, you can also plant virtual seedlings through simple drag-and-drop
action.
After
planting, you register “your” seedling by declaring how you intend
to help the environment over the next 100 days. After this time, a personal e-mail
details the seedling’s growth and asks if you have accomplished your goals.
Take it from us at the Monitor—this website is very impressive!
URL: http://www.tokiomarine-nichido.co.jp/mangrove-world/index.html |
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| The new material
is manufactured at the Minoshima Works in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan |
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Car air conditioners keep things nice
and cool inside the vehicle, but they also need to keep cool themselves. For this,
most car air conditioners currently use a fluorocarbon called HFC134a as a coolant.
This, however, is a very potent greenhouse gas* and subject to global restrictions
under the 1992 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto
Protocol.
Developed countries are obliged to phase out
their use of fluorocarbons, and the EU is now drafting regulations to reduce HFC134a use in car air conditioners
from 2009, and totally eliminate it by 2013.
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Here,
Mitsubishi Cable Industries, a manufacturer of sealing products
including rotary shaft seals and o-rings, has a key role to play. As vehicle manufacturers
scramble to reduce fluorocarbon leakage from compressors, hoses and other places,
the company has made rubber materials with low fluorocarbon permeability an urgent
priority.
Recently, Mitsubishi Cable Industries succeeded in developing a material that
dramatically reduces fluorocarbon permeability and mnimizes HFC134a leakage through
seals.
The company previously used hydrogenated acrylonitrile butadiene rubber (HNBR)
as a sealing material in car air conditioner compressors. HNBR has many advantages,
including resistance to HFC134a, refrigerant oil and heat. However, the new material—a
new type of HNBR—halves the amount of gas escaping, significantly reducing
total system leakage.
* Global Warming Potential (GWP) measures how much a given amount of a greenhouse
gas contributes to global warming. Over 100 years, HFC134a has a GWP of 1,300
while CO2 has a GWP of 1. |
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Over the next decade or so, “next-generation
vehicles“ powered by hyrogen and/or electricity will begin to appear in
greater numbers on our roads. If you want to get a close look at what the future
holds, the annual Toyohashi Eco Car Championship in Toyohashi City, Japan is a
good place to start.
Here,
teams from high schools, universities and corporations compete with carefully
constructed, ecologically sound vehicles in one of four categories, including
two-wheel vehicles and those powered by fuel cells. The aim is to complete the
most track laps |
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| Contestants
make final preparations for the race |
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in one hour using only
batteries and fuel cells. The key to success is energy efficiency, rather than
speed.
In the latest race, held on June
2–3, 2007, Mitsubishi Rayon sponsored Team Shimada, whose
vehicle sported a body of lightweight carbon fiber manufactured by the company.
The team came in 9th in its category* out of 51 contestants.
Enjoying
the excellent weather, a large crowd watched the passage of the streamlined vehicles,
many some 3 meters long. The race was remarkably graceful—these hand-built
powerhouses produced neither exhaust gases nor noise.
As
global warming advances, the Toyohashi Eco Car Championship aims to encourage
the creation of truly energy-efficient vehicles. The race will continue to play
a key role in championing sustainability, and in promoting innovative technologies
needed to realize this ideal.
* The team’s category was WEM-GP (World Econo Move Grand Prix), in which
race organizers supply the batteries, but there are no restrictions on motor type. |
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Geothermal power is a renewable energy
source with significant advantages. It is generated by piping groundwater deep
underground where it is heated by nearby magma to 300 °C, after which the
steam drives a turbine.The steam is then condensed into water and piped back into
the ground, restarting the cycle.
Unlike solar and wind power, geothermal power
can be produced reliably 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. In fact, it is even
cleaner than solar and wind power, if one considers the CO2
generated during the manufacturing of solar cells and wind turbines. Only hydroelectric
and nuclear power generate less CO2. Geothermal
heat also has many uses besides power generation, such as heating, air conditioning
and snow-meltng.
One of Japan’s largest geothermal facilities,
the Sumikawa Geothermal Power Station, |
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| Only a small
part of the Sumikawa power station is visible above ground |
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is licensed to produce 50,000 kWh
of electricity. Mitsubishi Materials and Mitsubishi Gas
Chemical, who built the power station, supply steam while Tohoku Electric
Power Co., Inc. generates power. When operating at its rated output, the facility
cuts Japan’s CO2 emissions by some 280,000
tons annually.
Mitsubishi Materials and Tohoku Electric Power formally agreed to construct the
station 1990, and commercial generaion began in 1995. During the construction,
great care was taken to protect the natural environment. For example, Mitsubishi
Materials and Mitsubishi Gas Chemical minimized the land area used for above-ground
facilities by using advanced underground resouce development technology to fully
utilize underground spaces. |
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On October 1, 2007, Kirin
Brewery’s Hokuriku and Fukuoka Plants received awards from the
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry for their efforts to create greener factory
environments. The awards were presented as part of the 26th National Factory Greening
Competition, organized by the Japan Greenery Research and Development Center to
encourage greening efforts at industrial facilities and factories.
Kirin Brewery is developing green areas at
all 11 of its plants in Japan. These areas, which include wildfowl habitats and
biotopes, have become popular recreational areas for local communities. |
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| Kirin Brewery’s
Hokuriku Plant is surrounded by green areas |
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At
its Hokuriku Plant, Kirin Brewery sought to integrate its factory into the local
environment through extensive landscaping. For example, the plant uses artificial
hills instead of fences and walls. The plant’s gardens are open to the general
public and frequently used for excursions by elementary schools and kindergartens.
At the Fukuoka Plant, Kirin aimed to create
“a green factory for the 21st century.” Plum and cherry trees, azaleas,
poppies, hydrangeas, sunflowers and cosmos—to mention a few—provide
enjoyment all year round. The factory’s Kirin Garden has become famous for
its poppies in the spring and cosmos in the fall, and people travel long distances
to see the flowers. Expansive 3,600 m2 lawns also
provide ample recreational space for people of all ages.
Kirin Brewery will continue to create green spaces as part of its environmental
protection activities, which also include water conservation programs. |
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