20 Signs to Call for Actions Against Global Warming in 2008 Sapporo Snow Festival

February 15, 2008

The Sapporo Snow Festival is one of the major events in Hokkaido, held in early February every year since 1950. The festival in 2008, marking its 59th festival, was held from February 5 to 11, and received more than 2,150,000 visitors from all over the world.

As the festival could be endangered if the current trend of climate change continues and snow in Sapporo disappears, Hokkaido Regional Environment Office produced signboards intending to further raise the public awareness of the global warming issues and appealed for their actions. The 20 signs, produced in corporation with the Sapporo Snow Festival Committee, were set up in the Odori area.

Bearing a design with the national flag of the countries participating in the G8 summit in Lake Toya area in July 2008, the signs also emphasized the need for international cooperation as well as immediate actions by every single citizen to solve global warming problem.

In addition to such activities to raise the citizens' consciousness towards the climate changes, Hokkaido Regional Environment Office is planning various other events and seminars to call for people's further effort to stop the global warming.