Japan Team Minus 6% campaign

"Team Minus 6%" was a nation-wide energy-saving campaign initiated by the Japanese Ministry of Environment in 2005 to help reduce GHG emissions in line with the country’s Kyoto Protocol pledge. As members of the “team”, all Japanese citizens were encouraged to take six actions: limit their use of air conditioners, reduce water consumption, stop idling cars, buy environmentally friendly products, refuse extra wrapping of purchases and unplug unused appliances. By 30 June 2008, toward the end of the campaign, 2.3 million individuals and 22 000 companies had signed on. As part of the programme, the government launched its Cool Biz campaign to encourage energy saving during the summer. Between June and September, all offices are advised to turn their air conditioners on only when the temperature reaches 28°C. The reduction in CO2 emissions from Cool Biz in 2006 was estimated at 1.4 million metric tonnes, equivalent to the amount of pollution produced by three million households in a month.

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