At this SDGs café, we finally talked about “Climate Change”. The timing and choice of topic couldn’t have been more appropriate, as Japan had been hit by one of the biggest typhoons in history just a few days before the event. Our guest speakers were Ms. Kanako Oku from the Association for Re-Designing Earth’s Future (地球の未来をリデザインする会), Ms. Ikuho Kawauchi from Kanazawa University, and Ms. Mariko Aoumi from Kanazawa Eco Life Club. The facilitator was Ms. Mikiko Nagai from UNU-IAS OUIIK.
According to Ms. Kawauchi, surprisingly, there are still many people who are skeptical about whether human activities are causing climate change. However, the data shows that the increase in CO2 over the past few decades has been leading to rising ocean temperatures. Mass use of fossil fuel is the biggest cause of increasing CO2 levels. “We are now at the point of no return” Ms. Kanauchi said.
Currently, 80% of energy is generated by fossil fuel on Earth, but the cost of solar panels or wind turbines are getting lower and lower, and it is technically possible to cover all the energy we need with renewable and sustainable energy such as solar, tidal, wind, and geothermal. Ms. Aoumi followed “I want everyone to think about what we can do about this issue.” At the end of the day it is a problem for everyone who lives in this planet. One’s actions can have an impact on someone else, and little by little they could change the future of the Earth.
