Can architects save the global environment?

The current environmental destruction is far faster than the Earth can recover. Even though the seriousness of global warming, such as desertification and abnormal weather, is becoming known, the mass consumption of oil and coal continues, and CO2 emissions are increasing. In addition, the destruction of the ozone layer, air, water and marine pollution, deforestation, and other environmental destruction of the entire Earth are progressing. Regarding global warming in particular, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicts that if high economic growth dependent on fossil fuels continues, the average global temperature at the end of the 21st century (2090-2099) will be about 4°C higher than at the end of the 20th century (1980-1999). The average temperature rise over the 100 years since 1906 was 0.74°C, but it will rise rapidly over the next 100 years, and the impact on the ecosystem will be immeasurable, and it is clear that the adverse effects will extend to humanity.

Particularly in resource-rich countries, large-scale development has been undertaken with the abundant funds gained from the soaring prices of natural resources, resulting in the consumption of vast amounts of energy that is far removed from environmental conservation. Up until now, our lives in developed countries have been supported by the natural resources and low-cost labor of developing countries. Therefore, we share some of the responsibility for the environmental destruction in developing countries, and we must make efforts to improve the situation. Emissions trading has already begun, but the key to future environmental improvement is truly the global relationship between developed and developing countries.

On the other hand, this is a problem that cannot be solved unless each individual is conscious of improving the environment and takes measures starting from their own surroundings. The circle of citizen-level activities is expanding, such as the "Mottainai Movement" by Wangari Maathai of Kenya, who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, and the "4R Movement," known as Refuse, Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle.

This year's JIA conference was a good opportunity to take a serious look at environmental efforts in the field of architecture and to reconsider this issue from a global perspective, not just from a local one. I believe that the solution to this problem lies in making the buildings and towns around us more sustainable. In Tokyo's Marunouchi district, in cooperation with building owners, designers, contractors, tenants, and relevant government agencies, in addition to visible efforts such as greening the rooftops and walls of buildings and Marunouchi Nakadori Street and spraying dry mist to mitigate the heat island effect, the district is working to reduce CO2 emissions as a whole by accumulating various efforts, such as using recycled water, district heating and cooling cooling systems, and obtaining an S rank in the environmental performance evaluation system CASBEE through ingenious window treatments and the installation of efficient air conditioning equipment in new buildings. In addition, our company is contributing to problem solving by actively proposing the environmental and energy-saving technologies we have accumulated in architecture in various parts of Asia and elsewhere.

We believe that it is our responsibility as architects to continue to create and provide people with a rich environment through these kinds of steady efforts, dreaming of a planet that will regain its vitality and become more beautiful.