With two thirds of our land covered in forests, Japan is one of the most heavily forested countries in the world. Protecting and nurturing our abundant forest resources not only helps to protect our land, cultivate our water supplies, and prevent global warming, but also aids in the preservation of all ecosystems. Therefore, to conserve and develop our forests is the greatest obligation we owe future generations. 　Kochi Prefecture, with 84% of its land covered in forests, is proud to be the most heavily forested prefecture in Japan, and we have taken the lead in pushing for the creation of healthy, sound forests. We have developed several of our own measures and policies, such as the establishment of a forest and environment tax, cooperation with environmentally advanced businesses in forest development projects, research and investigation regarding emissions trading, and the establishment of regulations on emergency tree thinning. In addition, in June 2007, Governor Hashimoto announced our commitment to assuming a leadership role among other prefectures by declaring us a prefecture that follows the Kyoto Protocol in a policy speech at a Kochi Prefecture regular council meeting. 　In order to realize these plans, each citizen must sincerely endeavor to reexamine his or her lifestyle with regard to, among other things, energy conservation and the use of public transport. At the same time the industrial sector must actively take environmentally conscious measures such as introducing new sources of energy concurrently with reducing energy consumption. Moreover, in keeping with measures to curb global warming, businesses must promote industry that can exist symbiotically with the environment by providing ecologically friendly products and services, developing eco-technologies, and so forth. Industry must act as a powerful lever to advance anti-global warming policies, and, with real, positive results as a starting point, contribute to the stemming of global warming in all regions of the world by spreading these projects to other prefectures and overseas. 　Striving to be an environmentally advanced prefecture, all the people of Kochi must stand together at the forefront of social reform. With an eye to the future, it is an urgent matter for us to steadily promote our regional measures to deal with global warming without a moments hesitation. We aim to restrain our carbon dioxide emissions to a level that our prefectures forests can effectively absorb. This is our Kochi CO2±0 Declaration. We resolve to do the above. 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Kochi Prefectural Assembly