To achieve carbon neutrality (substantially zero greenhouse gas emissions) that the government is aiming to achieve in 2050, domestic universities and research institutes will establish a coalition organization "Coalition of Universities that Contribute to Achieving Carbon Neutral". It will be established, and the establishment general meeting was held online on July 7th.
According to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, after greetings from the deputy ministers of the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the Ministry of the Environment, and the Ministry of Education, the participating organizations and the secretariat were introduced and the agreement was approved.Then there was a commemorative lecture by the Boston Consultant Group and Research Institute for Humanity and Nature.
There are a total of 188 national, public and private universities, research institutes, university joint-use institutions, and colleges of technology, including the University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Waseda University, National Institute for Environmental Studies, and Osaka Prefectural University College of Technology. Participated.
Five working groups such as "Zero Carbon Campus" and "Innovation" will be set up under the General Assembly, and participating organizations will share information to create a framework for industry-academia-government-private partnership toward the realization of carbon neutrality, as well as university campuses and regions. We will promote zero-carbonization, cooperation with university networks in the United States and Europe, and training of human resources necessary for achieving carbon neutrality.
In order to achieve carbon neutrality, technological and economic and social innovations are indispensable, and a wide range of knowledge from the humanities and social sciences to the natural sciences is required.For this reason, active involvement of universities and research institutes that act as bases of knowledge is required.