Yosuke Arino, Guest Associate Professor (Part-time), "Education and Research in the Era of Carbon Neutralization: Considering the Path to the 22nd Century Together"

2022.12.05

Course Taught: Energy and Environmental Studies (Fall Semester)

Starting this year, I am teaching the Energy and Environmental Studies course (Fall Semester). Each week, I take the podium while contemplating the future of Japanese society and the chaotic international situation amid growing multipolarization, and also considering the significance of learning together with the students who will shape the 21st century.

On November 12 of this year, as part of my duties at my primary workplace, I made a presentation at COP27 (the 27th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change) in Egypt on the draft guidance document for the formulation of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Strategic and Action Plan for Climate Change 2023-2030. ASEAN, composed of 10 countries, was founded in 1967 for regional security during the Vietnam War. By uniting the voices of diverse nations, it plays a crucial role in bringing stability to the international landscape shaped by major powers through the soft power of "dialogue." Now, ASEAN has risen to the challenge of achieving a transformation toward carbon neutrality as early as possible after 2050, despite being in a less economically privileged situation compared to Japan. Precisely because we live in an era where conflicts between nations are deepening, I strongly feel the need to join hands with the people of Southeast Asia, our neighbors, to create the future together.

The "wave" of carbon neutralization, much like Commodore Perry's Black Ships arriving in Uraga and subsequently forcing open Japan's heavy doors to the world, has reached countries across the globe, including Japan, (seemingly all of a sudden) and compelled policy shifts. Although climate model research globally has been conducting numerical experiments since the 1960s, anticipating climate change and global warming due to carbon dioxide, it took a long time for this to become a "great wave" persuasive enough for industry and the general public. Today, achieving carbon neutrality is becoming something of a slogan for the world, nations, and local governments. However, upon reflection, we realize it also contains the question, "How should I live my finite life on Earth, and what should I entrust to the next generation?" Each person has different values, and their wishes and visions vary. Geopolitical conflicts, disputes, and wars among nations over energy also have their own logic and strategies, and global events often present us with "the unexpected," surpassing individual predictions. However, the 21st century is transforming into an era where all countries and individuals, regardless of their location, are entrusted with the common goal of stabilizing the climate of a warming planet.

Following a dialogue with students and participants at the Carbon Neutrality Initiatives at SFC session of the Open Research Forum (ORF) on November 20, 2022, SFC joined the Renewable Energy University League on the 22nd, which aims to achieve 100% renewable energy by 2030 ( press release ). To transform our campus, which boasts rich nature throughout the seasons, into a carbon-neutral one, we need the involvement not only of students and faculty but also of corporations, local governments, national governments, and international organizations (both directly and indirectly), as well as new mechanisms and funding streams to introduce advanced technologies. The transformation of biodiversity conservation and resource circulation will also create various synergistic effects.

From now on, the climate will experience unpredictable fluctuations each year that defy conventional wisdom, and society will also continue to change. In such adverse circumstances, I hope to see the emergence of next-generation leaders who can see global environmental constraints as an opportunity for new ideas to sprout, break through conventional wisdom, forge a future with a free spirit that does not view neighboring countries with hostility, and orchestrate the unstable elements of society. I was once taught in a teacher training course at Keio University that "education is a hundred-year plan for the nation." I now stand at the podium, mindful that learning in the classroom today is an endeavor that will directly impact global society in the 22nd century. I hope to contribute to the development of research and education at SFC, which encourages young people and nurtures outstanding talent to its fullest potential.