
The Japanese seem to have adopted a uniquely pragmatic approach to climate change, integrating some deep-seated environmental and cultural values into their response to climate change issues.
g-Think took a quick look at the level of fear in Japanese society and found that while fear does exist, in many instances it’s morphed into positive action on the part of consumers.
Fear in Japan takes on many different hues. From pensions and the impact of the aging population to drunken drivers, falsely labeled meat and, of course, climate change, fear stalks Japanese consumers just as it does in other countries. Abnormal or extreme weather has tended to add to the climate change fear factor by focusing attention on specific events. With a small, densely packed land area, Japan is seen as being particularly vulnerable to the extreme weather conditions brought about by climate change.
Unlike media in the United States, however, the Japanese media does not hype the issues to the point of fear-mongering. Public service announcements tend to focus on what individuals can do to make a difference—saving water and reducing energy usage, for example.
The Japanese have employed the term mottainai (a word found mostly in ancient writings) to encompass environmental sustainability. Mottainai is roughly translated into English as the “reduction of consumption through reuse, recycling and repair.” It’s a gentle, culturally rooted and inclusive term that is being used to good effect to encourage consumers to be more sustainable in their everyday lives and to overcome the paralysis that fear of climate change and environmental degradation might otherwise engender.