MISSION 05
ABOUT
The 2/3 of the natural forest has disappeared ever since the beginning of the civilization 8,000 years ago.
70% of the water pollution in the sea, river, lake, pond is caused by domestic wastewater.
Forests and oceans are essential places that protect ecosystems. If these two disappear from the Earth, everyone on the planet would not be able to survive. Forests are now declining and deteriorating. This is because the Earthlings have done numerous acts which cause forest loss and deterioration. For example, they have selfishly transformed the lands to create farms and ranches, and performed slash-and-burn agriculture that disregards nature’s resilience. Furthermore, it has become evident that the recent forest fires which occur so frequently are caused by the Earthling’s self-indulgent activities. In the 30 years from 1990 to 2020, 1.78 million square kilometers of forest（more than 40 times as big as Japan’s land area）have decreased. On the other hand, in the oceans that cover two-thirds of the Earth’s surface, there are more lives than all living creatures on land, and they live in accordance with marine ecosystems. However, water is only going to get dirtier and more polluted because of plastics and domestic wastewater that do not exist in nature. Excessive development of coastal areas, unchecked fishery, and the rise of sea water temperatures have conspired to make the oceans a very tough environment for sea creatures to live.
*1…Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020
Citing: Collins M., M. Sutherland, L. Bouwer, S.-M. Cheong, T. Frölicher, H. Jacot Des Combes, M. Koll Roxy, I. Losada, K. McInnes, B. Ratter, E. Rivera-Arriaga, R.D. Susanto, D. Swingedouw, and L. Tibig, 2019: Extremes, Abrupt Changes and Managing Risk.
In: IPCC Special Report on the Ocean and Cryosphere in a Changing Climate [H.-O. Pörtner, D.C. Roberts, V. Masson-Delmotte, P. Zhai, M. Tignor, E. Poloczanska, K. Mintenbeck, A. Alegría, M. Nicolai, A. Okem, J. Petzold, B. Rama, N.M. Weyer (eds.)]. In press.
PROBLEM
Since 2015, there has been a global loss of forests as big as the area of Tokyo（approx. 10 thousand square kilometers）every year, and the impact has begun to emerge in the form of “climate change”. This is not surprising because trees that absorb CO2 using photosynthesis and reduce the greenhouse effect are decreasing. Japan is one of the leading countries in lush greenery, but at the same time it is one of the biggest importers of timber. They consume many paper products such as tissue paper, toilet paper, milk cartons, paper cups, flyers, chopsticks, etc.…
Far too many paper products made from woods are consumed on daily basis. In addition, plastic waste is an especially serious problem among marine debris. Most plastics are “disposable”, and it is said that 150 million tons of plastic already exists in the sea, and at least 8 million tons（equivalent to 50,000 jumbo jets *1）is newly flowing into the oceans. There is something each one of us can do to help protect the beautiful forests and sea. Let’s start with some familiar things around us.
*1: Total number of jumbo jets existing in the world are approx.1,600（Boeing 747）（as of 2020）and the number 50,000 is about 32 times of the total number of the jumbo jets in the world.
ACTION
Forests
Try to avoid using disposable chopsticks as these contribute to a large scale of deforestation
Do not waste tissue paper and toilet paper
Do not buy illegally logged timber （*1）or any products made from such wood
Alternatively, select products made from trusted timber that comply with regulations and maintain sustainable forest management
* Select products with forest certification marks
Citing: Forestry Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Overview of major forest certifications
Send back unwanted direct mails（Write “declined” in red on the unopened letter and put it in a mailbox）
Participate in forest conservation activities such as tree planting and mowing
*1: Illegal logging problem… Illegal logging is logging which violates the laws of each country. These loggings do not comply with the predetermined logging amount, method, tree species, etc. Some loggings are done without timber rights（illegal tree cutting）, or some go against laws and regulations of reserves. Illegal logging hinders sustainable forest management in producing countries, causing forest loss and degradation. Distributing illegally logged timber products, which do not include tree planting or forest management costs after logging, to international markets with unreasonably low prices also disturbs the sustainable forest management in importing countries.
Ocean
Pick up rubbish on coasts and rivers
When washing polyester clothes, put all of them in a laundry bag that filters microplastics
Pick up plastic waste on the street（Plastics on the road become brittle in the sun, wind and rain, and the fragments are washed away by rain and then into rivers and the sea. They become microplastics and pollute the ocean）
* Select products with fishery eco-labels
Citing: Fisheries Agency, Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries. Popularization and Promotion of Fisheries Eco-labels
©THE MISTRESS 5 all rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.
©THE MISTRESS 5 all rights reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited.