As the world’s population grows and its economy expands, the degradation of the Earth’s environment, such as global warming, ocean pollution, and loss of wild animal species, is worsening. Various efforts to create a sustainable society started to spread worldwide in 2015, leading to progress such as the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which put forth the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and the Paris Agreement.

The Osaka City Government aims to realize a vision of Osaka as an environmentally advanced city that contributes to the achievement of the SDGs by working to realize a decarbonized society, form a recycling-based society, secure a comfortable urban environment, and contribute to the global environment through an approach that relies on the involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders.

Realizing a decarbonized society

While prompting the introduction of new technologies, facilities, and equipment, and lifestyle changes, Osaka City is actively promoting energy conservation and the use of renewable energy and unused energy. The City also aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the city by promoting the transformation of transportation systems to reduce CO2 emissions, urban development, and the spread of next-generation vehicles. In addition, the City has been expanding the use of domestic timber to increase CO2 absorption.

Moreover, in preparation for the 2025 Osaka-Kansai Expo, in order to curb CO2 emissions associated with travel, Osaka City is working on creating a sustainable "decarbonization tour" and is promoting Osaka as a travel destination with low CO2 emissions.

Global warming countermeasures

Osaka City continues initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the participation and cooperation of all stakeholders in line with the previously formulated “Global Warming Action Plan of Osaka City.”

Outline of the “Global Warming Action Plan of Osaka City” (revised in October 2022)

• Our target is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the Osaka City area by 50% from 2013 by fiscal year 2030 to achieve a decarbonized society, "Zero Carbon Osaka" by 2050.
• Through government-wide measures, the city will work with citizens and corporations to expand the use of renewable energy, reduce energy consumption, and promote widespread adoption of next-generation automobiles.
• Osaka City Hall will actively promote energy conservation and expansion of renewable energy use in public facilities.

Building a new energy society

To take the initiative in building a new energy society that will realize growth for Osaka and safe, secure lives for its residents during an era of decarbonization, Osaka City formulated the Osaka Smart Energy Plan in March 2021, setting the direction of energy-related initiatives that should be undertaken jointly by the city and Osaka Prefecture through FY2030. Under this plan, the city aims to double the utilization rate of renewable energy and to improve energy efficiency.

Promoting the use of hydrogen energy

Osaka City is working with Osaka Prefecture and Sakai City to administer the H2Osaka Vision Promotion Conference, which provides a venue for exchanges between businesses and brainstorming in order to communicate information related to hydrogen energy to residents and other stakeholders and to create new hydrogen projects. In addition, we formulated H2Osaka Vision 2022 in May 2022 to take advantage of World Expo 2025 in Osaka, Kansai, to pursue even closer collaboration among industry, academia, and government, and we are now working to realize that vision.

Use of aquifer thermal energy storage

Aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) technology, which extracts thermal energy stored in geological layers that hold large amounts of groundwater (aquifers) and uses it to efficiently heat and cool buildings, is expected to help save energy, reduce CO2 emissions, and mitigate the heat island phenomenon.
Osaka City, which has a high concentration of buildings with high heat demand and which is blessed with extensive aquifers, is promoting the use of heat stored in these formations as an untapped source of energy that suits the region’s characteristics.

Forming a recycling-based society

Although the amount of municipal waste processed in Osaka City has fallen significantly from the peak levels of the past, the Osaka City Government continues to work to further reduce volume by reducing waste generation and promoting reuse and recycling. These efforts to form a recycling-based society will also lead to measures to address pollution of the ocean with plastic waste.

Osaka City and Osaka Prefecture were chosen by the Cabinet Office in July 2020 as one of the "SDGs Future Cities and Local Governments SDGs Model Projects." Accordingly, the City and the Prefecture jointly developed the "Osaka Blue Ocean Vision" action plan in March 2021 as one of the model project's initiatives and also as a separate plan for the water sector of the "Osaka City Environmental Basic Plan."

We are contributing to the achievement of the SDGs by promoting initiatives based on this action plan and collaborating with all stakeholders to contribute to the realization of "zero new pollution from marine plastic litter by 2050" set forth in the Osaka Blue Ocean Vision, as well as by developing various measures to create a clean water environment.

Securing a comfortable urban environment

In addition to pursuing coexistence with nature, for example by protecting biodiversity, the Osaka City Government is working to create a city whose residents can enjoy healthy, pleasant lives by pursuing heat island measures and initiatives to protect the urban environment.

Contributing to protection of the global environment

Osaka City brought the United Nations Environment Programme International Environmental Technology Centre (UNEP-IETC) to Tsurumi Ryokuchi Park in Tsurumi Ward in 1992, and the city is working together with the Global Environment Centre Foundation (GEC) to resolve environmental issues in developing nations by promoting international exchange in the environmental field.

Support for the development of decarbonized cities throughout Asia and beyond

In addition to sharing the knowledge and expertise it has accumulated to date from efforts to overcome environmental issues with cities across Asia and beyond, Osaka City is working with businesses that have registered with the Team OSAKA Network, a platform that was launched in 2016 to facilitate partnerships among industry, academia, and government, to contribute to the economic revitalization of Osaka and the Kansai region and to Japan’s international role by providing support for the development of decarbonized cities throughout Asia and beyond and by promoting transfers of environmental technologies.

Facilitating the involvement and collaboration of all stakeholders

Current environmental issues have an impact on many aspects of citizens' lives and businesses, so it is critical for citizens, businesses, economic organizations, environmental NGOs/NPOs, educational institutions, and governments to take proactive steps to realize a decarbonized society, promote recycling, and maintain a comfortable city environment.

For this reason, we are expanding the circle of interest in the environment from schools to the community, and to Osaka City as a whole, so that all stakeholders will take an interest in environmental issues, understand them correctly, raise their awareness, and take action to solve environmental issues. In addition, we are establishing partnerships with each entity and contributing to the achievement of the SDGs.