Half-price Big Mac to fight global warming proves big hit in Japan

TOKYO (AFP) – A Japanese government website crashed Wednesday as people raced to take up an offer of a half-price McDonald’s hamburger in exchange for pledging to fight global warming.

The Japanese unit of the US burger giant Tuesday offered a Big Mac for 150 yen (1.3 dollars), about half the normal price, to anyone demonstrating a commitment to preventing climate change.


People were asked to check up to 39 boxes on a form they could download from the environment ministry’s website, each listing a way of reducing carbon dioxide emissions blamed for global warming.

“We started seeing a rise in access yesterday and it surged this morning. We are now trying to restore the system,” said Kenji Someno, who heads the ministry’s Lifestyle Policy Office.

It was the ministry’s first system crash following a corporate offer related to environmental efforts.

AFP