Firms taking advantage of global warming concerns

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15 Comments

urufuls at 08:08 AM JST - 18th June

The Global Warming phenom is a very lucrative market these days. More and more companies are finding ways to profit from it.
DeepAir65 at 08:52 AM JST - 18th June

How about some basic common sense? Ban the selling of electrically heated toilet seats, legislate for proper insulation (Japanese - it's not just for cold countries) and double glazing. Japan imports most of it's fuel - surely we can do something with all the solar engergy?

The list goes on.
smithinjapan at 09:16 AM JST - 18th June
I love the way Japanese get suckered into buying anything the has the current buzzword on the label. Just like any single candy you can buy has become a 'throat candy' somehow, like magical USB connectors that give off 'minus ions', and dried blue berries that reverse metabolic syndrome, no doubt we are going to get some pretty crazy global warming crazy products. Let's think of a few of our own, shall we?
- Gurobu-ru wa-min-GUUUU! A shirt sponsored by the 'talented' Edo Harumi, that deflect the suns rays back into the atmosphere, zapping and destroying nasty CO2 gas!
- Eco-breath mints: traps CO2 in the candy as it dissolves, preventing release as you exhale... oh, and keeping your breath minty fresh!
- Eco-air-con (with minus ions AND CO-Q 10!): This machine actually destroys harmful dirt and CO2 particles and gas, while at the same time providing you with CO-Q 10 enzyme and.... okay, I gotta lay off the computer. Time to get back to work (next shift starting).
nutsagain at 03:25 PM JST - 18th June

Interesting, as there is some exciting research going on right here in Japan. Prof. Masayoshi Kobayama in Hokkaido has spent more than twenty years working on snow-as-energy. All you gotta do to preserve it is; make a huge mound and cover it with bark. The snow stays put this way until around mid summer. His team have designed and supervised construction of over 100 facilities using snow power and the latest are snow air-conditioners, which are kept in basements with fans blowing over them. Presto, cheap air-conditioning... Cool idea. Cool summers...
nutsagain at 03:26 PM JST - 18th June

PS the ice aircons will be a feature at the G8 this summer.
meija at 03:45 PM JST - 18th June

I've always shaken my head at the "we can't address global warming, think of the jobs that will be lost" argument. As old industries close down, new industries that address new issues open. Those countries that bury their head in the sand and try to cling to the old ways as long as they can end up missing the boat on the new technologies and end up far worse off finiancially over the long term.
weedkila at 07:58 PM JST - 18th June

The Global Warming phenom is a very lucrative market these days. More and more companies are finding ways to profit from it.

Can anyone provide a link (with satellite data etc) to prove that earth's mean temperature has continued to rise since the beginning of this decade? This past winter and spring have been much cooler than normal (in case no one noticed.) If it smells like a hoax...
ToughGuyBanker at 11:22 PM JST - 18th June

"taking advantage"? We're robbing people blind here! The marketing department has never had such an easy time. Stick "Eco" or "LOHAS" in front of anything and it sells like hot cakes. Eco fur? Haha - only in Japan would they fall for this.
tkoind2 at 09:23 AM JST - 19th June
Pointless fluf. Again.

Companies are all trying to say "Hey, we care about the environment like you do so buy our stuff." But they don't come back and say that they are really doing anything significant to help.

It is not enough that we all appear to care about what is going on. We need to do something tangible to change things. So here's some ideas.
1. VOte with your money. Buy products from companies that are doing real green activities. And don't buy from the ones who are just riding the green trend. Take some time and do a little personal research and find out who the good and bad companies are.
2. Vote with your behavior. Stop driving unless you absolutely have to. Ride a bike, walk or at least ride share. Push back on companies who overpackage things. Push back on companies that are clearly wasting fuel or electricity. And do the same at home. Deal with the heat a little more than usual. Turn up the temp on the aircon and don't waste energy.
3. Learn more about what you can do and how you can pressure the government and companies into doing more. The world we leave to the next generation depends upon it. And no hype or commercials by profit seeking companies will change that. Only we can with our activism and devotion to change.
Speed at 10:07 AM JST - 19th June

If it's got negative ions coming out of it, I'm BUYING it!
jaybeeb at 11:40 AM JST - 19th June

Can anyone provide a link (with satellite data etc) to prove that earth's mean temperature has continued to rise since the beginning of this decade? This past winter and spring have been much cooler than normal (in case no one noticed.) If it smells like a hoax...

I can't believe with all the flooding, cyclones, droughts, and other worsening weather, some people still think climate change is a hoax. Wake up people.
thepro at 11:42 AM JST - 19th June

Japan's biggest concern with global warming is when the cherry blossoms bloom...
jaybeeb at 11:50 AM JST - 19th June

How about some basic common sense? Ban the selling of electrically heated toilet seats, legislate for proper insulation (Japanese - it's not just for cold countries) and double glazing. Japan imports most of it's fuel - surely we can do something with all the solar engergy?

Yeah, because Japanese are using so much more energy than, for example, Americans or Canadians. Did it ever occur to you that double glazing and excessive insulation are not needed in Japan? Japanese people only heat the room they are currently in, unlike western countries that heat the entire house 24 hours a day.
weedkila at 01:23 PM JST - 19th June

I can't believe with all the flooding, cyclones, droughts, and other worsening weather, some people still think climate change is a hoax. Wake up people.

There has always been flooding, droughts, and other worsening weather, and most of the doomsday warnings are coming from politicians and the corporate media. All I ask for is some evidence the earth is currently warming through CO2 emissions! (I have only seen evidence to the contrary, that's why I ask.)

The focus of its investments includes companies such as Toyota Motor Corp., the world’s leading automaker in manufacturing vehicles as well as in hybrid technology combining gas-driven engines and electric motors.

An Osaka firm has just come out with a water-powered car. The test car can run at 80 kph for an hour on a litre of water (or green tea you prefer.)

http://www.flixxy.com/water-powered-automobile.htm
knucklerap at 12:01 AM JST - 24th June

double glazing and excessive insulation are not needed in Japan?

Doesn't this double glazing and insulation also keep the heat out?