vi
clothing, housing, and food. As a consequence, however, human beings now face
various problems such as an aging society and have started to alter the earth itself,
resulting in such changes like global warming.
We are living in a special era of human history.
Various Issues
A wide range of issues confronts modern society, including aging society, environmental issues, low-growth economy, energy, resources, disparity, unemployment,
terrorism, coups, fiscal issues, pension, infectious diseases, obesity, and lifestylerelated diseases. As indicated in Fig. 1, it is thought that the root causes of many of
these issues are a reflection of an era of explosive expansion of human activities. In
other words, the development of civilization itself appears to be responsible for
these issues.
While some people suffer from hunger and malnutrition in some parts of the
world, the amount of food waste continues to increase, and excessive eating and
obesity have become social problems in developed countries. As reflected in Fig. 1,
the twenty-first century is a very special era in the sense that it encompasses a broad
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Global average
lifespan
Global per
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CO 2
concentration
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Global per capita GDP (100 GK$/person)
Global average lifespan (years)
CO2concentration (ppm
Fig. 1 Trajectory of Sudden Expansion in Human Development in the 20th Century. (Source: Per
capita GDP and average life expectancy created based on Angus Maddison, while CO 2 concentration created based on NOAA)
Preface: From “Vision 2050” to “New Vision 2050”