Urban problems
As the Capital Tokyo Metropolitan Area expands, the demand for water, both domestic and industrial has increased considerably, but at the moment and for the foreseeable future, the water supply in the metropolis is secure.
As for the energy supply, both electricity and gas are sufficient. After two oil crises, the diversification of power-generating sources has taken place, and the dependence upon oil has been considerably reduced. The nationwide electricity supply network has also been developed so as to cope with and adjust to excess demand at the marginal level through inter-regional supply arrangements.
One of the biggest issues for the local authorities in the metropolis is waste, both industrial waste and household waste, and in particular non-combustible waste, not because the technology is not available to process such waste, but rather because of problems in the geographical location of processing facilities.
The average weight of daily waste per person has almost doubled in the past two decades, and in the metropolitan areas is twice as great as that in the micropolitan areas. In Tokyo, 1.1-1.3 kg of waste per person has to be collected daily. In the city of Tokyo alone, two-thirds of the total waste (2.6 million tons per year) is processed (burnt), while the other one-third is used for landfill in the bay.
Solutions
The solution to Japan’s problems, perhaps, is to decentralise everything from Tokyo by providing job opportunities elsewhere. Nobody chooses to live in a rabbit hutch or crowd with hundreds of other people on a packed subway train. The only reason people choose to move to Tokyo because of job opportunities available in the nation’s capital unavailable elsewhere.
Innovations
The Tokyo Institute of Technology, largely considered Japan’s most prestigious university, has unveiled on its campus an impressive new building that is almost self-sustaining in its power use. The Environment and Energy Innovation Building in Meguro Ward features solar panels all along its outside and on its roof thats 4500 panels in total. The building has a total capacity of 650 kilowatts, plus another 100 kilowatts of fuel cells.
But what does this mean?
It means the seven-story tall structure (which has an additional two basement levels below ground) uses half the power of a “normal” building of the same size.
So, as soon as we outfit the all rest of Earth’s structures similarly, we’ll be good to go!
As the Capital Tokyo Metropolitan Area expands, the demand for water, both domestic and industrial has increased considerably, but at the moment and for the foreseeable future, the water supply in the metropolis is secure.
As for the energy supply, both electricity and gas are sufficient. After two oil crises, the diversification of power-generating sources has taken place, and the dependence upon oil has been considerably reduced. The nationwide electricity supply network has also been developed so as to cope with and adjust to excess demand at the marginal level through inter-regional supply arrangements.
One of the biggest issues for the local authorities in the metropolis is waste, both industrial waste and household waste, and in particular non-combustible waste, not because the technology is not available to process such waste, but rather because of problems in the geographical location of processing facilities.
The average weight of daily waste per person has almost doubled in the past two decades, and in the metropolitan areas is twice as great as that in the micropolitan areas. In Tokyo, 1.1-1.3 kg of waste per person has to be collected daily. In the city of Tokyo alone, two-thirds of the total waste (2.6 million tons per year) is processed (burnt), while the other one-third is used for landfill in the bay.
Solutions
The solution to Japan’s problems, perhaps, is to decentralise everything from Tokyo by providing job opportunities elsewhere. Nobody chooses to live in a rabbit hutch or crowd with hundreds of other people on a packed subway train. The only reason people choose to move to Tokyo because of job opportunities available in the nation’s capital unavailable elsewhere.
Innovations
The Tokyo Institute of Technology, largely considered Japan’s most prestigious university, has unveiled on its campus an impressive new building that is almost self-sustaining in its power use. The Environment and Energy Innovation Building in Meguro Ward features solar panels all along its outside and on its roof thats 4500 panels in total. The building has a total capacity of 650 kilowatts, plus another 100 kilowatts of fuel cells.
But what does this mean?
It means the seven-story tall structure (which has an additional two basement levels below ground) uses half the power of a “normal” building of the same size.
So, as soon as we outfit the all rest of Earth’s structures similarly, we’ll be good to go!