Kanako Morita: Transforming Social Systems

I have been working on climate change and biodiversity issues while being involved in United Nations policy and scientific processes. Compared to 20 years ago when I started researching this field, I feel that private sector interest in climate change and biodiversity has increased significantly. On the other hand, global environmental problems such as climate change are becoming more severe, and we are in a situation where there is no time to lose. To realize a sustainable society, we are required not only to promote individual environmental measures but also to transform social systems in a short period of time, and I think daily through my research about how this can be achieved.

Looking at the field of climate change, the scope of international governance has expanded compared to the past. Until now, policy discussions on climate change have been conducted mainly under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change adopted in 1992, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an international scientific assessment organization established in 1988, has provided scientific information available for policy formulation. While these remain the core, the scope of climate change governance is expanding; for example, climate change is now discussed in diverse forums such as international frameworks like the G20 and G7, other international environmental treaties, initiatives led by private companies and financial institutions or public-private partnerships, and cross-border inter-city initiatives. Furthermore, climate change is now being discussed in relation to a wider range of social and economic issues than ever before, such as sustainable development, biodiversity, disaster prevention, human rights, labor, security, trade, and finance.

Therefore, researchers in the environmental field need to understand not only the environment but also policy discussions focused on other social and economic aspects. This summer, I participated in meetings of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe in Switzerland, where I investigated the nature of environmental measures from perspectives such as a "Just Transition" that leaves no one behind in the transition to a sustainable society, digitalization, trade, human rights, war, and security.

Transforming social systems to realize a sustainable society is not easy. However, there are more methods and technologies for problem-solving than in the past, and I would like to continue researching how we can lead to social system transformation, including relationships with various systems and actors (international organizations, governments, private companies, financial institutions, non-governmental organizations, citizens, etc.).