Future Perfect

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Priorities in the transition

towards a green economy

Kozue Hoshino, Global Environment Division, International Cooperation Bureau, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Japan

apan has taken various measures towards the achievement

of sustainable development. Especially regarding a green

economy, which is one of the themes of the United Nations

Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), Japan

has made green innovation one of the major pillars of its New

Growth Strategy adopted in 2010 and has carried out diverse

measures to this end. In this context, Japan is regarded as a

‘green economy advanced nation’. In addition, Japan has been

promoting the concept of human security. In delivering offi-

cial development assistance, Japan has focused on individuals

and taken into consideration the capacity-building of commu-

nities through human resource development. Japan considers

that sustainable development can be achieved only when each

human being can realize their rich potential and participate in

building a better society.

Japan attaches great significance to the ideal of a green economy,

which it describes as “an economic system which promotes

sustainable growth while improving human well-being, by pursu-

ing economic growth and environmental conservation in tandem,

properly utilizing and conserving natural resources and ecosystem

services”. In order to achieve a global transition to a green economy,

the following areas should be given priority:

Green innovation

The key to achieving the transition to a green economy is green

innovation. Energy-efficient technologies are widely available in

Japan, both in the private and public sectors, and low-carbon

life styles have been widely adopted there. Various measures

have been introduced, including the Top Runner standard,

which sets a target for the highest level of energy efficiency for

each electrical appliance in the market, in order to encourage

competition among manufacturers. Japan is one of the most

energy-efficient countries in the world. It is the very techno-

logical innovation through everyday research and development

that supports the elements needed to achieve sustainable devel-

opment, such as: energy conservation, renewable energy, smart

grids, resource recycling, communication technology innovation,

net-zero-energy homes and sophisticated systems for global earth

observation, climate change projection and data integration and

analysis.

Japan’s top-ranking energy-efficient technologies are indispensa-

ble in particular for emerging economies, where energy demand

is expected to grow. Japan is contributing to the transition to an

energy-efficient and low-carbon economy by making available its

energy-efficient products and systems. In addition, Japan supports

capacity-building of human resources by sending

experts and receiving trainees. Japan has highly sophis-

ticated environmental technologies such as photovoltaic

generation and water desalination and has implemented

financial and technical assistance in many developing

countries. Through these activities, Japan is contribut-

ing to solving problems related to the environment and

climate change in these countries.

Innovation in science and technology is essential for

achieving sustainable development. In order to deal

with global challenges such as climate change and

large-scale natural disasters, timely, qualified long-

term data should be obtained and shared among the

international community. The importance of global

observation activities was emphasized at the World

Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. As an

executive member of the Group on Earth Observation,

Japan has played a dynamic role regarding the

construction of the Global Earth Observation System

of Systems through its pivotal involvement in estab-

lishing a constellation of satellites and in sharing data

from the satellites measuring greenhouse gas (GHG)

emissions. Additionally, Japan has proposed a global

mapping project, an international effort to develop

global geospatial information utilized with earth

observation data, and has been playing the central

role as the Secretariat. Considering recent increases

in the incidence of large-scale natural disasters, earth

observation is expected to play a more significant role

in terms of disaster risk reduction as well.

Human security (human-centred growth)

Japan has actively promoted the concept of human

security, which focuses on individuals and aims at

building a society where all human beings can realize

their rich potential, through protection and empower-

ment. It is important to tackle social challenges such

as alleviating poverty and narrowing disparities with

cross-sectoral, comprehensive and people-centred

approaches. Building a resilient society, a prerequisite

for the realization of sustainable development, is possi-

ble only when vulnerable and threatened people such as

the aged, women, children and the poor are protected

and empowered, so that they can cope with threats by

themselves, exercising the ability to decide and act on

their own.

ustainability

olicies

, P

rogrammes

and

their

conomic

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