Mitsubishi Group to Buy Greenhouse Gas Emission Credits for Aichi Expo

Japan's Mitsubishi Group, which consists of 33 companies, reached an agreement in May 2003 to purchase greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions credits to cover Mitsubishi's participation in the 2005 World Exposition, to be held in Aichi, Japan. The credits will offset all the expected GHG emissions from energy consumed in the construction and operation of the Mitsubishi Pavilion @Earth, which will represent the Mitsubishi Group at the Expo. This is the first case of emission credit purchase for an Expo pavilion.

The amount of emissions credits that will be purchased is equivalent to 3,000 tons of CO2, based on the Aichi Expo's environmental impact assessment. This figure was obtained by adding the estimated volume of GHG emissions from construction and operation of the pavilion, calculated in accordance with the percent of total Expo site space it will occupy, to estimated emissions from the manufacture of various materials for the pavilion.

The emission credits that Mitsubishi will purchase via Natsource Japan Co., Ltd. an energy and environmental intermediary, will be generated through the preservation of hotspots, or endangered forests where biodiversity protection is a pressing need, based on the Carbon Offsets Program promoted by Conservation International, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization. The emission credits will be transferred to the Mitsubishi Group by the end of December 2004.

The theme of the Expo is "Nature's Wisdom" and one of its sub-themes is "Development for Eco-Communities" (e.g. a recycling-based society). The nickname of the Expo is "Ai-Chikyu-Haku (Love, the Earth Expo)," named after the venue, Aichi Prefecture. The "Mitsubishi Pavilion @Earth" will offer visitors an opportunity to recognize the importance of sustaining the Earth's environment from a cosmic perspective, while enjoying its various visual-effect technologies.

http://www.conservation.org/

Posted: 2004/04/02 04:48:30 PM
Japanese version