Preface
According to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, the monthly average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations measured in Hawaii in May 2019 exceeded
415 ppm. This is the highest concentration within the observable dataset over the last
800,000 years. Climate change is no longer a phenomenon yet to occur in the distant
future; we are now confronting a global climate crisis. This crisis is no longer
reversible, nor is it only in its infancy—it is now a very real and rapidly accelerating
issue. The Fifth Assessment Report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) in 2014 (AR5) asserts that it is extremely likely (95–100%)
that most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the
mid-twentieth century has been a result of elevated greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations from anthropogenic sources. It estimates that carbon dioxide exerts the
greatest influence on global temperatures among the anthropogenic GHG emissions.
The Paris Agreement that had come into effect in November 2016 requires all
countries to participate in measures to mitigate global warming, regardless of
whether they are a developed or developing nation. The goal is twofold: (1) limit
the increase in average global temperatures to less than 2
C above pre-industrial
revolution levels (with a target of 1.5
C); and (2) to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions to near zero by the second half of the twenty-first century. According to
the IPCC Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5
C” issued on October 8, 2018, if
global average temperature rise is to be controlled within 1.5
C, carbon dioxide
emissions must be reduced to 55% of 2010 levels by 2030, while actual carbon
dioxide emissions need to be reduced to zero by 2050.
Although there are still many uncertainties associated with climate change,
humankind no longer has the luxury of time to debate over climate change issues.
We must take concrete action as soon as possible despite the uncertainty and fulfill
the Paris Agreement commitments. There is an urgent need to accelerate the
mobilization of resources and forces across all areas of society to collectively
address climate change and promote sustainable development. The realization of a
low-carbon society in order to mitigate global warming should become a common
goal that all developed and developing nations are working toward. We need optimal
v
According to the Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, the monthly average atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations measured in Hawaii in May 2019 exceeded
415 ppm. This is the highest concentration within the observable dataset over the last
800,000 years. Climate change is no longer a phenomenon yet to occur in the distant
future; we are now confronting a global climate crisis. This crisis is no longer
reversible, nor is it only in its infancy—it is now a very real and rapidly accelerating
issue. The Fifth Assessment Report published by the Intergovernmental Panel on
Climate Change (IPCC) in 2014 (AR5) asserts that it is extremely likely (95–100%)
that most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the
mid-twentieth century has been a result of elevated greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations from anthropogenic sources. It estimates that carbon dioxide exerts the
greatest influence on global temperatures among the anthropogenic GHG emissions.
The Paris Agreement that had come into effect in November 2016 requires all
countries to participate in measures to mitigate global warming, regardless of
whether they are a developed or developing nation. The goal is twofold: (1) limit
the increase in average global temperatures to less than 2
C above pre-industrial
revolution levels (with a target of 1.5
C); and (2) to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions to near zero by the second half of the twenty-first century. According to
the IPCC Special Report “Global Warming of 1.5
C” issued on October 8, 2018, if
global average temperature rise is to be controlled within 1.5
C, carbon dioxide
emissions must be reduced to 55% of 2010 levels by 2030, while actual carbon
dioxide emissions need to be reduced to zero by 2050.
Although there are still many uncertainties associated with climate change,
humankind no longer has the luxury of time to debate over climate change issues.
We must take concrete action as soon as possible despite the uncertainty and fulfill
the Paris Agreement commitments. There is an urgent need to accelerate the
mobilization of resources and forces across all areas of society to collectively
address climate change and promote sustainable development. The realization of a
low-carbon society in order to mitigate global warming should become a common
goal that all developed and developing nations are working toward. We need optimal
v