（Artist’s impression of Tokyo 2016 Sea Forest: a refreshing 1000ha of lush greenery）
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s (TMG) ten-year plan to transform the city into a 21st Century showcase of urban sustainability
（Artist’s impression of Tokyo 2016 Sea Forest: a refreshing 1000ha of lush greenery）
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s (TMG) ten-year plan to transform the city into a 21st Century showcase of urban sustainability has given rise to an innovative pledge to make Tokyo a carbon-minus city to help secure its Olympic legacy. This, together with the ‘Tokyo’s Big Change’ initiative, charts a decade-long course for the city’s urban and environmental transformation.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s commitment to a carbon-minus society is reflected fully in the Tokyo 2016 Bid proposal. Tokyo 2016’s Bid prioritizes use of existing facilities wherever possible. Where new and temporary venues are required, they will be proactively implemented with high-efficiency, passive designs incorporating energy conservation technology as well as solar, wind and other renewable energy sources. Lowto zero-emission vehicles are another feature of this plan.
The new United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is set to be finalised at the COP 15 conference, which takes place in Copenhagen in December 2009, and Tokyo is pushing forward with the ‘The 10 Year Project for a Carbon-Minus Tokyo’ in the lead up to this milestone. Advanced technology, public-private burden sharing and investment incentives are cornerstones of this effort to achieve a 25% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by the end of fiscal year 2020 relative to the benchmark year of 2000. To date, a total of 36.5 billion yen has been earmarked for 107 projects related to ‘The 10 Year Project for a Carbon-Minus Tokyo’.
‘The 10-Year Project for Green Tokyo’, meanwhile, aims to promote green urbanism among the Japanese people - enhancing appreciation for the natural environment through initiatives such as organised tree plantings and guidance on protecting greenery.
Another key undertaking is the creation of 1000 hectares of green space in the Umi-no-Mori, 