環境科学は環境保全のために何をなし得たか アメリカと日本における酸性雨問題の比較

Abstract

Do people in the East have a different way of looking at environmental problems than people in the West? Or more specifically, do people in Japan have a different way of looking at environmental problems than people in the United States? In this essay I explore these questions in the context of one environmental problem-the acid deposition problem. I look at some of the ways the Japanese view of the acid deposition problem is different than the American view due to differences in 1) the natural environment of each society, and 2) the culture of each society. As far as the natural environment is concerned I look at differences in the Japanese and American relation to: the sea, mountains, volcanoes, climate, glaciation, lakes, alkaline dust from deserts, mineral deposits, and the concept of wilderness. As far as culture is concerned I look at differences in relation to: rain, wood, religion, and social philosophy. I conclude with the assertion that both Japan and America share one major similarity in their views of the acid deposition problem-they both fundamentally look at the problem through the“eyes of science.”However, the acid deposition problem is not only a problem for science but also a problem for the human spirit, and in this lightin order to truly solve the acid deposition problem there needs to be new ways of thinking which link the scientific and the spiritual traditions within each culture. To this end I urge the integration of acid deposition scientific knowledge with“acid deposition”artistic expression, and religious and philosophic thinking.