Tokyoites least eco-minded of rich city dwellers: poll

Yahoo News 19 May 08;

Japan may be at the cutting edge of green technologies, but its capital has the least environmentally conscious residents of eight of the world's richest cities, a poll showed.

More than four in 10 Tokyo residents -- 41.6 percent -- said they "don't want to sacrifice a convenient lifestyle to prevent global warming," according to the poll results published recently by Japanese advertising agency Hakuhodo.

The percentage was the highest among the residents of Tokyo, New York, Paris, London, Milan, Moscow, Toronto and Frankfurt, and well above the average of 29.7 percent, according to the survey of 2,600 people.

Parisians and Milanese were the happiest to change their lifestyles to save the planet, it said.

Tokyo residents scored the lowest among respondents from the eight cities who said they were "having a lifestyle that takes into consideration the environment," Hakuhodo said.

They also ranked the lowest among respondents who said that "an eco-friendly lifestyle is comfortable."

In a list of 27 daily activities considered to counter global warming, from taking only short showers to participating in tree-planting activities, Tokyo residents only scored above average for five of them.

In particular, Tokyo dwellers came last when it comes to studying about global warming or preserving the environment.

They also ranked lowest when it comes to buying eco-friendly products and scored below average for using clean energy, biomass, solar or wind energy.

However, the poll showed that nearly 90 percent of Tokyo residents feel threatened by global warming. They also came tops in responding that "environmental protection is more important than economic growth."

Tokyo residents "have the dilemma of not wanting to give up a convenient lifestyle that they've had for years," Hakuhodo said.