The COP (Conference of the Parties) is an international conference to discuss global climate change and global warming countermeasures. Currently, most of the keywords such as decarbonization, carbon neutrality, greenhouse gases, and global warming that we hear every day are policies determined by this "COP" and play an important role in determining the future of the earth. .
A study group has been started for both Gen Z and companies to have a sense of ownership and take action against such problems. That is the “Shibuya COP Academy”, which was held for the first time on December 15, 2022.
Young generations, including Generation Z, will drive the future of the earth in the next 2-30 years. Young people around the world are taking action against global environmental and climate change issues, but what about Japan?
Future Design Shibuya (FDS) and a platform for building a sustainable society The "Shibuya COP Academy", which is operated in collaboration with the general incorporated association SWiTCH, gathers participants from across the boundaries of students, companies, and governments. I was.
FDS's Matsushima, who serves as a facilitator, talks about the significance of discussing environmental issues in Shibuya.
“The ratio of carbon dioxide emissions in Japan is 34.7% for industry, 18.6% for transportation, and 17.4% for business and others. On the other hand, in Shibuya Ward, business and others account for more than half at 55%. In other words, a large percentage of people who come to work from outside Shibuya emit carbon dioxide.When it comes to environmental problems, local governments and residents are often the focus, but Shibuya Ward is a city that is visited by visitors. We must also get involved and work together with industry, government, academia, and citizens.”
Makina Saza, Representative Director of SWiTCH, said that the goal of "Shibuya COP Academy" is "to create an international sustainable city "Shibuya" by" Generation Z "and" companies "", and he himself became an operating member. Looking back on his experience of "Mock COP26" (Mock means simulated) held with more than 300 young people from 140 countries around the world and his past activities, he felt keenly that Japan was lagging far behind the international community. increase.
``In a survey conducted in 2022 targeting 25 countries, Japan was chosen as the number one country in response to the question ``Which country do you think has advanced public awareness and action regarding environmental issues?'' . Respondents from developing countries such as Indonesia, Egypt, and China tended to choose Japan as the number one reason for choosing Japan. many were sent. However, in reality, the percentage of people who are concerned about the impact of climate change on individuals is the lowest among developed countries, and the information obtained from the media is extremely small. Today, I would like to start by learning about the current situation in Shibuya and the trends of the world.”
After that, Mr. Saza will explain the comparison of the current situation in Japan and the world in an easy-to-understand manner. For example, “If 8 billion people in the world lived the same life as Japanese people, how many planets would we need?” (the answer is 3); How many cities are there?” (The answer is 2 cities. Currently, there are about 300 cities). . Then, we picked up three items from the "10 New Insights" environmental recommendations published annually by "Future Earth" (an international research platform that aims to transform society into a sustainable society) that could serve as a guideline for future activities.
“Future responses to climate change mainly include 'mitigation,' 'adaptation,' and 'loss and existence.' " is a measure to reduce the damage caused by climate change as much as possible.The important thing is "mitigation" to reduce the causes of climate change. Risks that cannot be tolerated by "adaptation" have already become noticeable, and it is not passive but positive. We must respond to climate change as soon as possible.”
For example, more than 50% of the world's GDP, or 44 trillion dollars, is dependent on nature, which is said to be greatly affected by climate change, and the economy is also at great risk, explains Mr. Saza. He also stressed that 40% of the people who died from climate change were caused by global warming, and that death rates from global warming are rising on all inhabited continents, emphasizing that the climate crisis is not someone else's problem. .
He also stated that at "COP27" held in Egypt in November 2022, it was agreed to stop the "decarbonization wash = pretense decarbonization" and take more concrete goals and actions. How old are you?" While asking, it is the young people of the future generation who will suffer the most serious damage that I have explained so far. I repeated the meaning of
Next, Matsushima from FDS introduced efforts in Shibuya Ward, and Mr. Sekine from Earth hacks introduced initiatives from the consumer's perspective such as "Decabo Score", "Decabo Choice", and "Decabo Pumpkin Range", and the participants actively asked questions. has been sent.
In particular, there was a lot of interest from the corporate side in regards to "Decabo Score", and communication was born saying "Let's meet again next time". The fact that co-creation was born immediately shows the enthusiasm of the participants.
Mr. Ishida from Climate Clock Japan took the stage at the end. The "Climate Clock" is a clock that indicates the remaining time until the remaining CO2 is exhausted to prevent the temperature from rising by 1.5 degrees. With locations in New York, Glasgow, Seoul, and Tokyo, Climate Clock Japan aims to install 100 Climate Clocks in Shibuya, where diverse young generations gather.
The remaining time is "6 years and 223 days" as of December 11, 2022. Rather than seeing the climate crisis as someone else's problem, it can be said that it is a mechanism to have a sense of ownership as an issue that we are facing right now. It seems that it will be a theme in the future whether it will shift to ".
"Shibuya COP Academy" is scheduled to be held for the second time in late January 2023 and the third time in mid-February. Participation from the second time onwards is of course possible, so please contact us if you are interested.
We would also like to hear from the participants who have gained a lot of knowledge about climate change in the first session, what kind of action plans they will make after the second session, and how Shibuya will change as a sustainable city. Let's focus on and move on to activities.
