We, the students, faculty, and administrative staff stand together to demand that the leadership of the University of Tokyo make sustainability a core pillar of the university's philosophy.  

 

We stand on the verge of a climate and ecological crisis. The IPCC Sixth Assessment Report shows that human activity has unequivocally caused climate change, and the consequences have become more severe and frequent around the world. The Global Biodiversity Outlook 5 confirms that none of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets have been fully achieved at a global level. Habitats, wilderness areas, and wetlands continue to be degraded, fragmented, and destroyed. To prevent irreversible and catastrophic changes to all present and future life on our planet, we must take urgent action— both globally and in Japan, as individuals and as the institutions we belong to.  

 

Institutes of higher education have a unique role in this global challenge, and the University of Tokyo is no exception.

 

As a leading center of research, our university has the potential to contribute to a sustainable society through its research efforts and to influence other institutions to do the same. We believe that education and practical involvement in sustainability initiatives on campus will nurture leaders who understand and take action on sustainability issues.

 

Our university has a significant impact on our climate and environment. We own over 32,000 hectares of forest across the country, making up 0.1% of the total land in Japan, and our university community consists of almost 40,000 individuals. In 2018, we accounted for 58,000 metric tonnes of net CO2 emissions, the bulk of which comes from electricity usage. It is true that the university has started to make changes. There are efforts to decrease carbon emissions, as the Todai Sustainable Campus Project plan has been adopted to reduce the use of electricity, gas, and petroleum on campus. The university also publishes an annual environmental report and has created programs and courses centered on sustainability.

 

This is not enough.

 

When we look at the situation on campus, sustainability efforts are promoted mainly through a top-down process. There is a lack of involvement and personal investment by students; of 28,675 enrolled, only 44 students are involved in an environment or sustainability-related circles. Our environmental initiatives are disconnected and fragmented, hindering cooperation and dialogue.

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We urge the university to change and take action.

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1. We call on the University of Tokyo to publicly declare a climate and ecological emergency. ​​

2. We call on the university to expand the current scope of environmental efforts and make all campus operations sustainable.  

3. We call on the university to push the academic frontier of sustainability through its research efforts. 

4. We call on the university to ensure sustainability literacy for all graduates by incorporating necessary concepts into the liberal arts curriculum.  

5. We call on the university to promote an organizational culture of sustainability both within and outside of classrooms and laboratories based on inter-stakeholder dialogue.  

6. We call on the university to empower and enable individuals to live a sustainable living, and to take action on sustainability in their communities.

7. We call on the university to share its knowledge of environmental sustainability beyond campus boundaries to catalyze change in wider society.

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We hope that the University of Tokyo will rise to the challenge, make sustainability a core pillar of its philosophy, and become a visionary leader of sustainability.