The University Coalition to Contribute to Carbon Neutrality (hereinafter referred to as the Universities Coalition), in which our university participates, held a general symposium online on March 11, 2022.
The Universities Coalition aims to spread efforts toward carbon neutrality from universities to the region, country, and world, and to contribute to bringing about better changes in society through dissemination.July 29, 2021 It was established on the 1st and currently has 192 participating universities.
After opening speeches and speeches from related ministries and agencies (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, and Ministry of the Environment), lectures were given on ``The world moving toward carbon neutrality and the role of universities'' and ``Beyond net zero management science: Visualizing what cannot be quantified.'' There were two keynote speeches on ``Humanities and Wisdom''. Afterwards, there were reports on the activities and issues of the five working groups. From our university, Professor Taro Yamauchi of Faculty of Health Sciences who serves as the executive branch of the International Collaboration and Cooperation Working Group, presented examples of international collaboration.
Afterwards, a panel discussion was held to share awareness on how we envision our future society in order to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. “If we cannot achieve carbon neutrality in the region, it is impossible for the country to become carbon neutral.There are nearly 800 universities in Japan, and 192 universities are already participating in the Coalition.This covers all regions of the country. I think that having universities take the lead in tackling these five issues will greatly raise the standard of Japan as a country.'' ``Renewable energy has an image of being expensive, but prices are falling in Europe and the United States. "Can't we make a transition? We need to move forward with the transition. We also need to make effective use of local resources. Japan is rich in local resources. We would like to promote the use of these resources," was the discussion.
The Universities Coalition will continue to carry out its activities centered around its five working groups.
Professor Taro Yamauchi (Faculty of Health Sciences) giving a presentation on the International Collaboration and Cooperation Working Group
For more information about the University Coalition, please click here.
Click here for videos of this symposium and presentation materials from the day.
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