KAZE, August 2019
Let's make a drastic change in the future courses of our society and economy

Saburo KATO
1. Uncertainty both in Japan and all over the world
In Japan, decreasing voter turnout is becoming an issue. Japan's national
election last month recorded an all-time low voting rate of 48%. This means a half ofthe qualified voters did not participate in the national election. The reason for this low
voter turnout requires careful analysis, of course, but I feel that those with unstable
income could not motivate themselves to vote when they see the sad political situationthese days. They are sick of hearing refrained campaign pledges of both ruling andopposition parties without successfully making a drastic change of the stagnant
economy. In the case of those seniors with physical difficulties or dementia, some (ormany) of them actually and physically could not go to the designated voting place or
the advance voting station. The ratio of this voter group will be increasing in the future.
This national election seems to represent serious difficulties that Japanesesociety is facing now. Mr. Yoshimitsu Kobayashi, former Chairman of Keizai Doyukai(Japan Association of Corporate Executives), lamented the sharp decline of Japan'sstatus in the global economy and warned that Japan will become a small-timer as itlacks a sense of crises in lukewarm water.
If we look at the global situation, again we can see various crises here andthere: US-Sino trade conflict, unstable mid-East military situation, Trump cabinet
making a bigger fuss, and UK confusion surrounding Brexit, all resulting in theincreasingly volatile international situation.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, in the preface of the SDGs Report
2019, summarized the four years of SDGs implementation as in the followings:"The report demonstrates that progress is being made in some critical areas, and thatsome favorable trends are evident. Extreme poverty has declined considerably, theunder-5 mortality rate fell by 49 per cent between 2000 and 2017, immunizations
have saved millions of lives, and the vast majority of the world's population now hasaccess to electricity. Countries are taking concrete actions to protect our planet:marine protected areas have doubled since 2010; countries are working concertedly

to address illegal fishing; 186 parties have ratified the Paris Agreement on climatechange, and almost all have communicated their first nationally determinedcontributions. About 150 countries have developed national policies to respond to thechallenges of rapid urbanization, and 71 countries and the European Union now havemore than 300 policies and instruments supporting sustainable consumption andproduction. And a wide range of other actors—international organizations, businesses,
local authorities, the scientific community and civil society—have engaged with theSDGs in a manner that generates great hope for the coming decade. The United
Nations, for its part, is working hard to reposition to the United Nations development
system to be better equipped to meet the needs of governments to respond to thisintegrated and transformative agenda.""Notwithstanding that progress, this report identifies many areas that need urgent
collective attention. The natural environment is deteriorating at an alarming rate: sealevels are rising; ocean acidification is accelerating; the past four years have been thewarmest on record; one million plant and animal species are at risk of extinction; andland degradation continues unchecked. We are also moving too slowly in our efforts toend human suffering and create opportunity for all: our goal to end extreme poverty
by 2030 is being jeopardized as we struggle to respond to entrenched deprivation,
violent conflicts and vulnerabilities to natural disasters. Global hunger is on the rise,
and at least half of the world's population lacks essential health services. More thanhalf of the world's children do not meet standards in reading and mathematics; only
28 per cent of persons with severe disabilities received cash benefits; and women in
all parts of the world continue to face structural disadvantages and discrimination."
A mountain of problems listed up in Mr. Guterres's summary clearly shows theincreased uncertainty about the future all over the world.
2. Let's change the course before the clock runs out
What caused the current critical situation of the world? What was the essenceof the socio-economical concept that caused today's crisis? It may be an economic
thought where, based on the global population increase, economic development isemphasized and technological innovation has pursued that purpose. Big enterprises areplaced in the frontline of global economic warfare, clinging to the use of an easy energy
source of fossil fuel to promote their globalization. In short, it is a political belief in thesupremacy of an economy backed by technology development.

To overcome difficulties coming out of this belief, there is a supporting concept,
a belief in science: problems brought about by science should be solved by science, andenvironmental problems brought about by contemporary technology could be solved
only through continues economic development and technology innovation.
This belief may be summarized that the current difficulties could be solved onlythrough the further pursuit of high-level technology innovation and maintenance ofeconomic development to support the pursuit.
This belief in economic development has been followed for nearly two centuries,starting in Europe and gradually expanding to the US, Japan, and other Asian countries.
As a result of the struggle of almost 8 billion people for economic development in thepast years, however, cities are forested with skyscrapers and highways are covered
with automobiles, and we found ourselves under the crises of ecosystems and thehuman society is facing catastrophe at this moment.
If human beings are allowed a little more time to muster enough courage toexercise wisdom, we have to quickly shift to a more safe and sustainable course ofdevelopment. The new course should be summarized as a policy of placing
environmental conservation first, not economic development. Technologies are selected
depending on the level of environmental friendliness rather than efficiency. The
decentralized local economy will be restored utilizing the civilian power of SMEs andNPOs. In this new course, renewable energy will be the only energy resource forproduction.
This new course may be named a "green course", which would be backed by
the following concept.
"We finally realized, through extreme weather events and extinction of creatures, thatleading a rich and convenient life using technologies thoughtlessly will cause economic
and social instability and eventually threaten human life. Therefore, what is mostimportant for human beings is to identify such fateful technologies as will impair
sustainability and destroy the global environment, and consciously and systematicallyeliminate them while promoting safe technologies for the survival of human beings. To
do so, we have to cultivate through school education, etc. a social ethic or wisdom thatwill help control our desire to pursue convenience."
Shifting to this new course of life is a big challenge and will face a lot ofresistance from all sides, but time is running out unless we take an action right now.