Worldwatch Perspective: Youth Exchange Underlines Need for International Cooperation on Environment

Urban garden in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture Photo: Zoë Chafe

In early December, I had the honor of participating in the Japan Global Youth Exchange, a unique program sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tokyo. As the American representative to the program, I joined a small group of young people (ages 20–35) from 30 countries to discuss the complicated relationship between environmental issues and economic development. Through intensive discussions, we developed and agreed on a proposal that acknowledges the current gap between environmental resources and the economic status quo and makes recommendations for moving forward in a more sustainable manner.

In the two weeks we spent together, I cannot recall a moment of silence; our time was filled with learning. With representatives from nearly every part of the world (Belarus to Brunei; Mongolia to Madagascar), we had as much to learn from each other as we did from the cultural and environmental information we were exposed to in Japan. At a single meal, I found myself discussing Iceland’s return to whaling, Algeria’s tentative post-conflict environmental discussions, and my own work on ecotourism and natural disasters.

Our learning occurred in a variety of settings. In visits to temples, we saw centuries-old gold-leaf paintings of bird species that no longer migrate to Japan because of weather changes and development pressures. We learned about Japan’s community-based recycling systems, as well as a pilot project that pays out “eco-money” as a reward for environmentally responsible behaviors such as using reusable shopping bags. We viewed sophisticated water purification systems at a Kyoto-based corporation that creates equipment to help companies comply with new European Union chemicals standards. And after a tour of a hybrid car assembly line, we learned that local industry contributes more to air pollution than all households and transportation combined.

These experiences provided us with two important tools: a multi-faceted view of Japan’s environmental challenges and the actors trying to solve them; and applicable examples of the daunting issues that we approached at a more abstract level in formal discussions each evening. A short exchange program with Japanese families and with students at Nagoya University further grounded our conception of the issues that are most important in Japan today.

On our final day in the program, I joined five of my colleagues in presenting our findings and experiences to a public audience in Tokyo. One attendee challenged us to define the ways we would implement our new thoughts and recommendations in our home countries. Looking around at my new friends, I began to think about how I could bring their knowledge and perspectives to my work at Worldwatch, especially through our youth outreach efforts at Worldwatch University. Our time together has, no doubt, enriched our understanding of the global cooperation that will be necessary in building a more sustainable future.

Zoe Chafe is a staff researcher at the Worldwatch Institute, where she works on issues of globalization, tourism, and disasters.

This story was produced by Eye on Earth, a joint project of the Worldwatch Institute and the blue moon fund. View the complete archive of Eye on Earth stories, or contact Staff Writer Alana Herro at aherro [AT] worldwatch [DOT] org with your questions, comments, and story ideas.