Carbon Neutrality at SFC | Tomohiro Ichinose, Dean of the Faculty of Environment and Information Studies
2022.11.01
In November and December 2022, there are two important events for global environmental issues. One is the 27th Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP27), which begins on November 6 in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt. The other is the 15th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP15), which begins on December 7 in Montreal, Canada. As I briefly introduced in a previous Dean's Diary entry , the opening of COP15 was repeatedly delayed due to the spread of COVID-19, and it will finally be held in Canada after the venue was changed from China.
Ahead of COP27, the secretariat of the Framework Convention on Climate Change published a report on October 26, which has been covered by the media. In the Paris Agreement, reached in 2015, countries agreed to limit the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius by 2100. At COP26, held last year in Glasgow, it was argued that this was insufficient and that the increase needed to be limited to 1.5 degrees. However, an analysis of each country's greenhouse gas emission reduction targets for 2030 revealed that they are far from sufficient to meet the 2-degree target, and at the current pace, temperatures are projected to rise by 2.5 degrees.
The Japanese government has set a target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 46% by fiscal year 2030 compared to fiscal year 2013, and achieving net-zero emissions, so-called carbon neutrality, by 2050. Carbon neutrality is not something the government will achieve on its own; it is required of all businesses and households, and educational institutions are no exception. Discussions have already begun at Keio University, and our Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) has taken the lead, starting its review at the end of last year. SFC's electricity consumption accounts for about 5% of Keio University's total, but the campus has a site area of approximately 34 hectares. With many faculty members and students involved in environmental and energy issues, it is a fitting campus to undertake this as a pilot project.
After more than six months of discussions with faculty and staff, a direction has finally begun to emerge. Although the site is large, we cannot simply clear green areas to install solar panels. It is impossible to cover all of SFC's electricity needs with renewable energy generated on the SFC site. So, what should we do? This is where we need to be creative. We plan to announce our goal for carbon neutrality by 2030 soon. I would like to present the details at the Open Research Forum (ORF) to be held at SFC on November 20 and 21 . There are only about seven years left until 2030. And our challenges are not limited to climate change; we also face environmental issues such as biodiversity and resource circulation. An integrated approach is required, rather than tackling these issues individually. I hope to pool our wisdom not only with SFC students, faculty, and staff, but also with our alumni.