Our university is collaborating with the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Aoyama Gakuin University, and others to conduct the "Decarbonization Technology ELSI Project", which examines the ethical, legal, and social issues (ELSI) brought about by decarbonization technologies. Representative: Shota Emori, Deputy Director, Earth System Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies).

From our university, Associate Professor Naoyuki Mikami (Institute for the Advancement of Higher Education) participates in the project from a sociological perspective and serves as the leader of the "Technology Assessment Group."

With the adoption of the Paris Agreement on climate change countermeasures in 2015, there has been active movement in the international community toward the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including carbon dioxide, to net zero worldwide by the middle of this century. It has become. Achieving net-zero emissions will require major changes in industries, economic systems, and lifestyles, but at the same time, expectations are high for technological innovations that contribute to decarbonization. However, in situations where the introduction of new technology is progressing rapidly, it is necessary to give due consideration to its social impact. Dialogue involving technology experts, a wide range of stakeholders, and the general public is also necessary to identify side effects at an early stage and respond to them while proceeding with the development and use of decarbonization technologies.

This project aims to achieve decarbonization by incorporating an ELSI (Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues in Science and Technology) perspective through dialogue not only with science and technology experts but also with frontrunners in various fields of society. By developing a technology evaluation framework, we aim to contribute to the promotion of RRI (responsible research and innovation) in this field. From September 2021 to February 2022, a total of 26 people, including "front runners" who are driving fundamental changes to a sustainable society in various fields of society, and experts in decarbonization technology, will participate in a decarbonization project. We have held a series of dialogues regarding the ELSI for carbonization technologies, and have recently published the report ``ELSI for decarbonization technologies and its evaluation framework,'' which summarizes the results and a draft evaluation framework that is currently being developed.

Click here for the university's press release. *You will be redirected to the university's core website.

Click here for details on "Establishing ELSI as a strategy to develop and disseminate decarbonization technology in Japan."

*You will be redirected to the JST Social Technology Research and Development Center website.

Click here for details on the "Decarbonization Technology Technology Assessment."

*You will be redirected to the citizensassembly.jp site.