environment Archives - understand-culture

An Extra Car

In 1989, Mexico City introduced Hoy No Circula, “today it does not drive.” The program bans most drivers from using their cars one weekday a week, according to the last digit of the license plate. Chilango writes that “mucha gente, que no quería quedarse sin coche, optó por comprar un auto extra, aunque fuera viejito” (many people, who did not want to be left without a car, chose to buy an extra one, even an old one).

In 2008, Lucas Davis published a study of the program in the Journal of Political Economy. He reports that evidence from additional sources indicates that the restrictions led to more vehicles in circulation and to a shift toward high-emission vehicles.

Smart Wrapping

On June 5, 2006, the Japan Department Stores Association created sumāto rappingu, smart wrapping. It declared the fifth of every month Smart Wrapping Day. In February 2007, the Ministry of the Environment announced an event that asked people to accept simple wrapping for Valentine’s Day chocolates. Its slogan was: Aijō wa tappuri, hōsō wa hikaeme ni. “Plenty of love, modest wrapping.”

Takashimaya calls a department store’s wrapping paper and bags, which show at a glance where a gift was bought, the face of the store.

Furoshiki

In December 2005, Environment Minister Koike Yuriko wrote in her email newsletter: Watakushi wa kono tabi “mottainai furoshiki” naru mono o tsukurimashita. “I have now made something called a ‘mottainai furoshiki.'” A furoshiki is a square wrapping cloth.

The ministry explained that she saw the furoshiki, a part of traditional Japanese culture, as a way to start people thinking about a society that cares for the environment. The ministry also held a class on how to wrap things with it.

Sound Princess

Many women in Japan used to flush a public toilet twice, the first time only to cover the sounds of using it. In 1988, TOTO put its first Otohime, Sound Princess, on sale. The device plays the sound of flowing water.

The Japan Times wrote that it was made “to cater to the delicate sensibilities of women and save water at the same time.”

Clear Bottles

In 1992, voluntary design guidelines for PET bottles were set in Japan, so that bottles could be recycled. They call for transparent bottles. A design certification standard for soft drink PET bottles, cited in a 2026 committee document of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry and the Ministry of the Environment, puts it in a few words: chakushoku wa shinai koto, do not color.

Flood Hazard Maps

An amendment to Japan’s Flood Control Act took effect on July 1, 2005, after a series of heavy rain disasters in 2004. It obliged the mayors of municipalities with areas expected to flood to inform residents, with flood hazard maps, about how flood warnings are passed on and where to evacuate.

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism expected the number of municipalities required to make such maps to roughly double, to about 1,800. On March 31, 2005, 375 municipalities had them.

Nine Dragons Manage the Water

九龙治水 Nine dragons manage the water. Said when many agencies share one task and none of them answers for it.

In 2014, water hyacinth spread over the Yangtze near Ezhou. The CPPCC Daily ran the headline: “Many departments pass the buck, and no one takes charge.” The article said: “The key is to solve the problem of ‘nine dragons managing the water’ and unclear responsibilities.”

Shut Down First

On August 31, 2018, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment issued a guiding opinion that said: “Resolutely oppose ‘one size fits all.'” It prohibited responses such as “shut everything down” and “stop first, then see.” Xinhua, reporting on the opinion, called these “perfunctory responses” and wrote that firms meeting environmental requirements were not to be subjected to collective halts of production.

Carbon Peak, Carbon Neutrality

On September 22, 2020, Xi Jinping addressed the general debate of the UN General Assembly by video. China, he said, would “strive for carbon dioxide emissions to peak before 2030, and work to achieve carbon neutrality before 2060.”

China would also “raise its nationally determined contributions” and adopt “stronger policies and measures.”

The Three-North Shelterbelt

The National Development and Reform Commission gives the schedule of the Three-North Shelterbelt Program (三北防护林): “The construction period is 1978 to 2050, in three stages and eight phases.”