Science and technology have brought convenience, but they have also created environmental and energy problems. Let us consider what society should be like in the future.
Basic Knowledge
Major environmental and energy problems today:
① Global warming: An increase in CO2 caused by burning fossil fuels. The global average temperature has risen about 1.1℃ since before the Industrial Revolution.
② Air pollution: PM2.5, acid rain, and photochemical smog
③ Resource depletion: Petroleum・natural gas・and rare metals
④ Waste: Plastic marine pollution and radioactive waste
Carbon neutrality: An effort to make CO2 emissions and absorption equal, resulting in net zero emissions. Japan aims to achieve this in 2050.
The 3Rs of a recycling-oriented society:
・Reduce: Reduce waste
・Reuse: Use items repeatedly
・Recycle: Recover resources
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) (Adopted by the United Nations in 2015, 17 goals, target year 2030)
Carbon neutrality (Making net CO2 emissions zero)
Decarbonization (Efforts to move away from dependence on fossil fuels)
3Rs (Reduce・Reuse・Recycle)
Paris Agreement (An international framework adopted in 2015 to limit the rise in global average temperature to below 2℃)
Green innovation (Social transformation through environmental technologies)
In Depth (Background・Significance)
Science and technology are a double-edged sword. In the 20th century, automobiles・electricity・chemical fertilizers・and antibiotics transformed daily life, but they also created environmental destruction・resource consumption・and new risks (nuclear weapons・climate change).
Central themes of 21st-century science and technology:
・Large-scale renewable energy (solar・wind・and energy storage)
・Hydrogen energy (fuel cells・hydrogen stations)
・Nuclear fusion (the same principle as the Sun. The ultimate energy source that produces no CO2, and the ITER international project)
・Energy-saving optimization using AI・IoT
・Spread of EVs (electric vehicles)
・Carbon capture (capturing and storing CO2)
・Synthetic biology・synthetic fuels (producing fuel with microorganisms)
Japan plays an advanced role in the world's environmental technologies (hybrid vehicles・solar cells・fuel cells, and so on).
Individuals can also do countless things, such as using reusable shopping bags・saving electricity・using public transportation・buying locally produced goods・reducing food loss・and participating in elections. Citizens in the future will need the ability to think scientifically and accurately and the ability to cooperate with people in diverse positions.
- Global warming: Increased CO2 is the main cause
- Carbon neutrality by 2050 (Japan's goal)
- 3Rs: Reduce・Reuse・Recycle
- SDGs: 17 goals, target year 2030
- Paris Agreement: 2015, temperature rise below 2℃
- Hydrogen・nuclear fusion・and EVs are next-generation technologies
- Science and technology are a double-edged sword - proper use is important
Points to Note (Easily Confused)
① Carbon neutrality does not mean “zero emissions”; it means “emissions = absorption.” ② The Paris Agreement (2015) and the Kyoto Protocol (1997) are different. The former followed the latter. ③ Nuclear fission (current nuclear power plants) and nuclear fusion (next-generation technology) have different reaction principles. ④ The order of the 3Rs is important (first Reduce→Reuse→Recycle). Recycling is the final measure.
Practice
- What is the target year for Japan's carbon neutrality goal?
- Give all three Rs of a recycling-oriented society.
- In what year were the SDGs adopted, and what is their target year?