Toyama Climate Change Adaptation Center conducting original research and three projects (society, PR/awareness and environment education)

Date of interview	July 6, 2020
Established by	Toyama Prefectural Environmental Science Research Center
Interviewees	Hiroshige Nakajima, Director, Hiroyuki Shimada, Assistant Director, Misao Aibe, Deputy senior researcher, and Koki Iwakura, Researcher, Toyama Prefectural Environmental Science Research Center

Background of establishment

Please tell me how the Toyama Climate Change Adaptation Center came to be established.

Nakajima:In December 2018, the Climate Change Adaptation Act came into force and it required establishment of Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers in prefectures. It was suggested that the adaptation center should be established in the Environmental Science Research Center as the research center was carrying out various studies on global warming. In June 2019, we formed a project team and started to prepare for the establishment.
First, we gathered information about efforts made by other prefectures. We then discussed what we could do and finally secured a budget. On April 1, 2020, we established the Toyama Climate Change Adaptation Center and the inaugural ceremony was held on April 9.

What are the main duties of the Toyama Prefectural Environmental Science Research Center?

Nakajima:Our center is a research institute dedicated to conduct surveys, monitoring and research on the environment. I believe it is one of the few institutes in the country that perform an extensive range of operations including monitoring and inspections of factories and other workplaces in addition to surveys on the environment.
As to climate change, we conducted surveys on snowfall and changes in discomfort index and future prediction of WBGT in the past. To plainly explain near-future climate to the citizens of the prefecture, we have also participated in the Research Program on Climate Change Adaptation (RECCA) organized by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and disseminated the research findings. For example, we predicted changes in snowfalls in 2030 by simulation and made a video of changes in the appearance (snowfall) of the Tateyama mountain range as viewed from Toyama City to visualize the prediction.

Original research and three projects

Please talk about research on climate change adaptation by the Toyama Prefectural Environmental Science Research Center.

Iwakura:One of our research subjects is “future changes in snowfalls due to global warming and efficient use of groundwater for melting snow.” In our prefecture, groundwater is pumped up and sprinkled to melt snow. Therefore, we need to know how snowfalls will change due to global warming and how that will affect the pumping of groundwater.
In the RECCA, snowfalls are predicted to decrease on average. In this research of ours, we analyze heavy snowfalls utilizing the data of the Social Implementation Program on Climate Change Adaptation Technology (SI-CAT) and predict a reduction in groundwater level by pumping for melting snow using a groundwater model. We have verified the practicality of the model by inputting data of heavy snow in 2018 and confirmed that a fall in groundwater level during heavy snow was reproduced. We are now analyzing what a heavy snowfall in the future will be like to input to the model.

Shimada:The second subject is “climate change impact assessment by monitoring the snow melting of the Tateyama range. To analyze long-term changes in the snow meting time of Tateyama and identify impacts on vegetation, we have been monitoring snow melting since FY2008 jointly with the University of Toyama and the Toyama Caldera Sabo Museum. We have installed a ground temperature sensor and a water temperature/pressure sensor in Mount Murodo with an elevation of 2,500 m in the Tateyama range. We collect data of the sensors once a year. We consider snow melts when the ground temperature exceeds 1°C in spring. We have been taking data for 10 years. Still, we have not been able to see a trend over the years, only we found that snow melted earlier in 2016 when we had El Nino (warm winter). We think that snow melting time is related to vegetation distribution. We will continue the monitoring to identify long-term trends and impacts from climate change. We also would like to analyze the relationship between our monitoring result and snow depth or meteorological data and assess impacts on vegetation, comparing with vegetation monitoring result by the joint researchers.

The third subject is “changes in water quality due to global warming in Toyama Prefecture.” The annual average temperature is rising in the prefecture and there is concern about changes in water quality including water temperature in rivers and other public water areas. We are analyzing changes in water quality for 38 years from FY1981 to FY2019. Based on the analysis result, we will predict impacts on the water quality items, including water temperature, likely to change due to global warming. We are going to provide the findings of this research, such as predictions of temperature rise and predictions of effects on changes in water quality and on the growing environment of aquatic life, to organizations concerned as part of the operations of the Climate Change Adaptation Center. We would like to utilize those findings to heighten the awareness among the prefecture’s citizens through seminars and other occasions.

Please talk about the duties of the Toyama Climate Change Adaptation Center.

Nakajima:We are carrying out three projects.
The first project is the establishment of a society for climate change adaptation. It is aimed at promoting surveys and research on climate change adaptation in various fields, by exchanging information with research institutes, academics and other specialists in the prefecture.
The second project is a PR and awareness raising activity using newsletters and the Internet. We hope to issue newsletters four times a year.
The third project is promotion of environment education. We are planning to refurbish our center’s lecture hall into an environment study room with exhibition panels, books, a quiz segment and other features easy to understand for children. We are considering a space where children feel free to drop in after school, see, touch and learn information on climate change, adaptation and the environment in general. Preparations are now underway for the opening in October 2020.

Aibe:We release the issue 1 of the newsletter in April and the issue 2 in July. The issue 1 featured the explanation about the establishment of the adaptation center and the definition of the adaptation. The issue 2 reported the analysis result on the factors of the record-breaking warm winter in 2020 publicized by the Japan Meteorological Agency and called attention to heatstroke prevention in the “new lifestyle” required by COVID-19.

Are there any cases of climate change impacts recognized in the prefecture?

Nakajima:The annual average temperature of Fushiki (Takaoka City, Toyama) rose by 1°C in 100 years. Recently, an upward trend is clearly observed. Reduction in snow due to global warming is now a familiar problem.

Shimada:For the past two years, the urban areas in Toyama City have been hardly covered with snow. Before that, we had extremely heavy snow. Most Toyama citizens commute by car. If it snows hard, traffic congestion is caused. Trains are also delayed or often placed out of service. Heavy snow is closely related to everyday life and snow is of great concern to Toyama citizen. On the one hand, if it does not snow, people may be pleased as they do not have to shovel snow nor get up earlier than usual to go to work. On the other hand, lack of snow is a matter of life and death to ski resorts. Similarly, that may worry people engaged in agriculture as snowfall is related to water resources.

Iwakura:Speaking of agriculture, tulips are produced as a regional specialty in Tonami City in western Toyama. A tulip fair is held around the beginning of May every year. According to the people in charge of the event, as the blooming time is becoming earlier and earlier, they cover up the tulips to delay blooming time for the fair. That may be part of adaptation to climate change.

Please talk about problems to be solved and future outlooks.

Nakajima:Our research center has marked the 50th anniversary this year.
It is significant to set up the Toyama Climate Change Adaptation Center and launch a new mission in the anniversary year and we are highly motivated. Our center was formerly called the Toyama Prefectural Environmental Pollution Research Center and mainly engaged in monitoring and surveys of environmental pollution. Later, it was renamed the Environmental Science Research Center and has endeavored to create a comfortable regional environment. We have broadened the scope of our operations, conducting surveys and research on acid rain and snow, yellow dust and PM2.5 making the most of the characteristics of Toyama Prefecture. From now on, we would like to carry out survey, research and environment education projects from the aspect of adaptation to global warming and climate change.

Aibe:Personally, I try to use plain words to explain even complicated things when conveying information to citizens. Translating technical terms and loanwords into simple words is a challenge.

Iwakura:I am not an expert on climate change and I am learning something new every day. As climate change is related to a wide range of fields, I hope to acquire expertise and know-how here and develop myself so that I can deal with whatever jobs I am assigned to in the future.

Shimada:Climate change adaptation covers a broad range of fields and is related to meteorological and social phenomena. Most local Institutes for Environmental Studies across the country are staffed by specialists in chemical analysis. In the case of our prefecture’s Climate Change Adaptation Center, staff of our research center also work for the adaptation center and therefore the existing human resources have to be trained. The National Institute for Environmental Studies offers training courses on the adaptation. If such training is expanded and upgraded, it will help build up a network of Local Climate Change Adaptation Centers. It will boost the level of specialists of not only Toyama Prefecture but also all other prefectures. We hope for continued cooperation.