UNU 37th Global Seminar Student Report by Coco Kawaguchi

1. Introduction
My name is Coco Kawaguchi and I am a first-year student at Keio University. As an activist involved
in Fridays for Future, I took part in the UNU 37th Global Seminar to expand my network andknowledge about the climate crisis. I want to apply that knowledge at the next Global Day ofClimate Action on 25 March, and when building my future career.
2. Keynote Speech Summary
Professor Yukiko Hirabayashi
Prof. Hirabayashi talked about the legacy of the 2021 Assessment Report by the IPCC from ascientist’s point of view. The 2021 IPCC Report is significant in that it has declared that human
influence has undoubtedly caused climate change. Prof. Hirabayashi was responsible for writing
Chapter 4 on water. Comparing global surface temperatures under purely natural influence versus
both human and natural influence, it became clear that human activities were the main cause of
the global temperature rise. Adaptation measures such as carbon neutrality and the shift torenewable energy are crucial to mitigating the consequences of global warming. Preserving
natural bodies of water is also important. While some damage is already irreversible, maintaining
global warming under the 1.5 degree target would significantly prevent permanent loss of species.
One of the main objectives of the Fridays for Future movement is to listen to and reflect the voicesof scientists. The seminar was an opportunity to confirm what scientists have been saying about
the urgency of tackling climate change. I also learned new vocabulary such as “mitigation” and“adaptation”.
Professor Yee-Kuang Heng
Prof. Heng explained that the World Economic Forum again ranked extreme weather events as thegreatest global risk. These extreme weather events include the heat dome in Canada and supertyphoons in America. In Japan water shortages in dams are happening more often. Extreme
weather events are expected to increase in frequency and size. In other words, younger
generations would have to withstand more severe climate change. That is why young people areusing civil disobedience to appeal to the decision makers for change. However, civil disobediencealone is not enough to influence political decision making. In addition to protests, morediscussions and participation in commission surveys should be conducted. Agreed upon by 23countries, The Wellbeing of Future Generations Bill is expected to increase the chances for young
people to take part in the decision-making process. Educating them about the increased future
impacts of climate change and effective civil disobedience is an important task.

This was an eye-opening speech that explained why the current activism was not sufficient.
Neither the older nor the younger generation has enough knowledge about climate change.
Education is important, but we also need to accelerate actions to limit the global temperature rise
to 1.5 degrees. The task of balancing long-term and short-term goals is perhaps the biggest
challenge that the world faces.
Professor Daniel Murdiyaso
Prof. Murdiyaso referred to the 2013 Wetland Supplement which is an important report thatscientists have been using. In Asia, peatlands are disappearing due to the need to create newspaces for agriculture. Burning peatlands emit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gasses. It also
destroys blue carbon, which is stored in coastal ecosystems such as mangroves and seagrassmeadows, which accumulate far more carbon than terrestrial forests. Currently, initiatives arebeing taken to restore vegetation. Growing native plants and blocking water canals is challenging,but gradually animals have been coming back to the restored lands. Wetlands provide excellent
habitats to foster biodiversity. They also serve as a powerful cleaning system of nature. Preserving
them should be a priority.
Prof. Murdiyaso mentioned ecotourism, and I have visited Malaysian mangroves to see proboscis
monkeys and orangutans. Following the speech, I heard interesting remarks about the relationshipbetween mangroves and crude oil. In Nigeria where there are mangroves, there is also very goodquality crude oil. Companies from foreign countries come to dig oil mills that destroy the land, andoil spills are contaminating both terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. To Japanese people, wetlands
may seem like a very remote topic (global warming and climate change is very often discussed but
since many Japanese do not live near wetlands they might find it difficult to relate). This speech
was very helpful in raising awareness about the significance of wetlands.
3. Group Discussion Summary
The focus of our group discussion was teaching Japanese secondary students about the SDGs andclimate change. Since the education program was intended for Japanese children, we found thatconcentrating on issues prevalent in developing countries would not be very appealing. We agreed
that focusing attention on the most relevant issues and then zooming out to what is happening inother parts of the world would be most effective. Furthermore, since students might find it
difficult to read long documents or spend hours listening to lectures, we tried to increase
opportunities to take part in activities.
4. Overall Feedback
The 37th Global Seminar was a very valuable experience. I learned a lot from the professors. But
what I found most interesting was hearing the experiences and opinions from other participants. I
have lived in several countries, but I have only seen photos of what is happening in parts of Africa
and in small island nations. Hearing descriptions by people who were directly impacted left a big
impression on me. At the same time, I gained confidence in the climate justice movement that I
am a part of. Not all people want to put in a lot of time, effort, and money for the environment forthe greater good and not everyone sees climate change as an utmost priority. However, without
adaptation, climate change will become more severe and irreversible. I look forward to continuing
my work in the environmental field and promoting discussion with decision makers.