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Photo credit: Promotion Airport Environment Improvement Foundation / ©JNTOFOREWORD 015importance. Therefore, in order to achieve an 80 per cent reduction of GHG emissions by 2050, three strategies were proposed: Reducing energy demands as much as possible by using energy efficient appliances or by reforming urban infrastructure;Supplying low-carbon energy;Promoting the use of electricity from renewable sources. It was also agreed that it was important to have a common understanding of the fact that an 80 per cent reduction can only be achieved through disruptive changes of the present values and systems. These disruptive innovations must cover technology, the social system and people’s life style.Moreover, it was discussed and noted that a decline in population had begun and would continue for many years to come, resulting in an ageing society. The growth rate of our economy may not be positive but the productivity rates can stabilize or even grow slightly with a tremendous effort from the society.Based on those recommendation and commonly recognized perspectives, we have proposed several policy directions to achieve a low-carbon society.First of all, we have to create a new socio-economic system in which GHG emissions reductions are connected with the local economic development. Since Japan has very limited domestic fossil fuel resources, many regions import energy from overseas or other parts of Japan. Therefore, a supply of local energy from renewable sources such as water, wind, biomass and sunlight would help improve the current situation where we depend heavily on external resources. While in Japan all of the country’s nuclear power plants stopped operating for a couple of years after the Great East Japan Earthquake and the Tsunami, various trials have begun to supply electricity locally. These should be developed further and contribute to reducing the imbalance in the local demand and supply of energy.Secondly, we have to increase the added value of our economy through disseminating low-carbon processes and technologies in every part of our society. These include energy and material efficiency in manufacturing, energy conservation in housing, energy efficiency in transportation and so on.In addition, some concrete policy measures should be introduced to push the society towards a low-carbon growth. Carbon pricing strategies such as carbon tax, GHG emissions charge, and emissions trading schemes, are all presently considered in order to reduce emissions and combat high economic losses. Regulatory measures are also effective, for example setting the limit of GHG emissions from factories or buildings. The emissions trading scheme becomes effective when it is combined with appropriate emissions regulations.Information dissemination measures are more moderate methods to encourage people to reduce consumption and change lifestyles. The roles of scientists and industry experts are important to convey precise and persuasive information to the society. Even financial organizations should take initiatives to promote low GHG emission investment. Our recommendations have been delivered to Ms Tamayo Marukawa, Japan’s Minister of the Environment, who has described them as ‘‘epoch-making recom-mendations to solve simultaneously the substantial reduction of GHG emission and the socio-economic problem facing Japan’’. I hope the Government of Japan will take concrete actions to follow our recommendations at the earliest opportunity. ■ABOUT THE AUTHOR Professor Takashi Onishi is President of Toyohashi University of Technology (TUT), President of the Science Council of Japan (SCJ), and a member of the Council for Science, Technology and Innovation chaired by the Prime Minister. With a doctoral degree in Engineering from the University of Tokyo, he served as a professor at the Department of Urban Engineering of the University of Tokyo for many years until 2013, when he became an Emeritus Professor of the University.Professor Onishi has been involved in many significant global issues, to implement those relating to the Great East Japan Earthquake. In 2013, he was appointed a member of the Science and Technical Advisory Group of the United Nations International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.
