Concerted global efforts needed.

Present global environmental problems are a challenge for all of humanity and, without concerted global action through the persistent efforts of all countries, it is clear we cannot hope for effective results in limiting greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, which is the most crucial task before us.

Surely, except for hateful persons or misanthropes, everyone concurs with the hope that concerted global efforts will bring about a twenty-first century in which our home - the Earth - will still be, as astronauts always describe it, a beautiful blue shining planet, where our descendants will be able to live in peace.

In December 1997, Japan's beautiful ancient capital of Kyoto hosted the Third Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP3), which adopted the Kyoto Declaration (the Kyoto Protocol), the first step toward solving global environmental problems in the twenty-first century.

Day after day, the Japanese media reported on the continual heated arguments, confrontations and mediation that led to the Protocol's adoption. While one would expect to find nobody who is opposed to "a blue Earth and a life of peace", COP3 participants no doubt became painfully aware of how difficult it is to obtain agreement when getting down to the spicifics regarding environmental issues.

In the final analysis, it is said, protecting our blue Earth, for individuals, consists in sparing no effort to protect the environment even if we have to put up with some inconveniences in our daily lives and, for businesses, it means showing consideration for the environment, either by slowing the pace of economic activity or even shouldering costs.

Looking back over my own life, when I was a young student, about 35 years ago, in Japan's capital of Tokyo, there was no central heating and even in midsummer there was no air conditioning. In those days, Japan had already embarked energetically on the path towards economic growth, but when you got up in cold wintertime there was no hot water to wash your face, so you did it quickly and simply, and, of course, we didn't have hot showers or anything like that. I remember that riding on jammed commuter trains in midsummer made one sweat, the same as when in the saunas I use these days. In my case, energy consumption back then was one tenth that of now, or even less.

Let's say I made the following proposition to a hypothetical Mr. A who lives in a developing country: "I'll return to my standard of living five years ago if you'll do the same, and in that way we'll protect the global environment." Now, since I consume a lot of energy, my guess is that Mr. A would get angry.

Observance of standards for environmental protection, which the industrialized countries advocated vociferously during the Kyoto Conference, probably sounded to the developing countries like my imagined proposition to Mr. A.

If industrialized countries are going to make thorough efforts to cut their own emissions and seek cooperation from the developing countries, I think, from the perspective of fairness, they must provide funding and know-how. In this sense, international GHG emissions trading should naturally also become a reality.

In November 1995, at the United Nations in Geneva, I signed the Statement of Environmental Commitment by the Insurance Industry as a representative of The Sumitomo Marine & Fire Insurance Co., Ltd.. As an involved party, the reasons the insurance industry is deeply concerned about environmental problems are that, first, extreme weather events worldwide and environmental pollution are having grave impacts on the policies we sell, and, second, apart from the mere business aspect of a marked increase in insured losses, we have begun thinking seriously about the connection between global warming and weather extremes.

We are also expected to provide consulting services for companies as they implement ISO 14001 environmental management systems. We must therefore work to further enhance insurance industry experience and data so that these serve as guides in dealing with environmental problems.

Japan is a member of Asia. While it is a step ahead in terms of industrial production capacity and the size of its economy, other Asian countries have also been developing under high economic growth rates. Japan also has caused many pollution problems in the course of its development. I think that Japan should now tell other Asian countries about its experiences, and address environmental problems in a manner harmonious with Asia as a whole.