9
1.2.3 Saturation of Man-Made Objects and the MaterialCirculating System
First, saturation of man-made objects is the key point of a material-circulating system. Man-made objects such as steel and cement continue to accumulate. They will
fill every nook and cranny relative to the population and ultimately reach saturation.
Demand is not something that will grow forever, even in China or India. Saturation
should be welcomed at the proper time. An analysis using steel and cement – two
key materials for infrastructure – as indices predicts that in 2050 they will reach
near saturation worldwide.
Saturation of man-made objects means the amount of materials that are newly
required is equivalent to the amount of man-made objects that are discarded. If
waste was recycled and used for new products, then the need for extracting natural
resources would disappear. That is to say, at the very least, there would be no anxiety at least about metallic resources drying up, and they perhaps would no longer
even be necessary in the first place. The form of society that we should have in the
future is a completely circulating one that has minimized the volumes of both waste
and resource mining.
1.2.4 Tripling Energy Efficiency
Setting the target value for energy efficiency starts having a theoretical value for
total energy consumption. The difference between this theoretical value and actual
energy consumption is the maximum possible value of energy-saving. Analyses of
just how close we can approach this maximum value through technology is tantamount to a projection just how far we can push ahead with energy-saving.
For example, the theoretical value of energy consumption for transportation is
zero. An object with a weight of zero requires no energy to travel. Accordingly,
reducing the weight of automobiles and trains will be effective toward reducing
power use, as well technologies that convert energy resources into an efficient force
to power travel. I projected that by studying the possibilities of weight-reduction
and drive technologies, it will be possible to cut energy consumption for transportation to one-quarter that of the benchmark year.
Heating demand ranks alongside automobiles as the largest source of energy
consumption in the world. My thinking was that it will be possible reduce this to
one-quarter by 2050 by improving the efficiency of a variety of factors in homes and
offices by curtailing air-conditioning costs with improved heat insulation performance for buildings; reducing power consumption through the use of high- efficiency
air conditioners, LED lighting, and the like; and improving efficiency on the power
generation side of the equation.
Furthermore, efficiency increases will also continue in the areas of monozukuri
(making things). Most metals oxidize in the air. Making metals from waste in a
1.2 What Is Vision 2050?
1.2.3 Saturation of Man-Made Objects and the MaterialCirculating System
First, saturation of man-made objects is the key point of a material-circulating system. Man-made objects such as steel and cement continue to accumulate. They will
fill every nook and cranny relative to the population and ultimately reach saturation.
Demand is not something that will grow forever, even in China or India. Saturation
should be welcomed at the proper time. An analysis using steel and cement – two
key materials for infrastructure – as indices predicts that in 2050 they will reach
near saturation worldwide.
Saturation of man-made objects means the amount of materials that are newly
required is equivalent to the amount of man-made objects that are discarded. If
waste was recycled and used for new products, then the need for extracting natural
resources would disappear. That is to say, at the very least, there would be no anxiety at least about metallic resources drying up, and they perhaps would no longer
even be necessary in the first place. The form of society that we should have in the
future is a completely circulating one that has minimized the volumes of both waste
and resource mining.
1.2.4 Tripling Energy Efficiency
Setting the target value for energy efficiency starts having a theoretical value for
total energy consumption. The difference between this theoretical value and actual
energy consumption is the maximum possible value of energy-saving. Analyses of
just how close we can approach this maximum value through technology is tantamount to a projection just how far we can push ahead with energy-saving.
For example, the theoretical value of energy consumption for transportation is
zero. An object with a weight of zero requires no energy to travel. Accordingly,
reducing the weight of automobiles and trains will be effective toward reducing
power use, as well technologies that convert energy resources into an efficient force
to power travel. I projected that by studying the possibilities of weight-reduction
and drive technologies, it will be possible to cut energy consumption for transportation to one-quarter that of the benchmark year.
Heating demand ranks alongside automobiles as the largest source of energy
consumption in the world. My thinking was that it will be possible reduce this to
one-quarter by 2050 by improving the efficiency of a variety of factors in homes and
offices by curtailing air-conditioning costs with improved heat insulation performance for buildings; reducing power consumption through the use of high- efficiency
air conditioners, LED lighting, and the like; and improving efficiency on the power
generation side of the equation.
Furthermore, efficiency increases will also continue in the areas of monozukuri
(making things). Most metals oxidize in the air. Making metals from waste in a
1.2 What Is Vision 2050?