TSUKUBA
Prof. Kodaira gave a lecture, “The Future of Community and Mobility,” to visiting OSU students
On May 9, 2025, I gave an omnibus lecture “The Future of community and mobility” for ISS-PBL as an Assistant Professor in the Institute of Systems and Information Engineering at University of Tsukuba.
On that day, about 20 students and staff from The Ohio State University (OSU) and about 5 students from UT attended the lecture. Through games and group work, we learned together what we should do to become “Carbon Neutral” by 2050.
The lecture was conducted under the scenario that the participants would be appointed by the “World Government” as ministers of the global environment. In other words, they were asked to determine global policies to achieve global carbon neutrality (i.e., virtually zero carbon dioxide emissions) by 2050. It’s a big responsibility, isn’t it?
I have divided the participants into four groups: power, buildings, transportation, and industry. In each sector, they are asked to consider various policies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.
For example, in the electric power sector, when and at what speed should renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power be introduced? In the transportation sector, how aggressive should the government be in subsidizing the introduction of electric vehicles? The group in charge of the industrial sector said that the carbon tax is too high and will hinder industrial activities.
It is also essential to invest in innovation. Which technologies should we invest in, when, and how much? I myself suggested, “Why not invest heavily enough to go to Mars?” But some student pointed out that if we spend too much money, we would risk not being able to invest in other areas.
Impressive were the OSU students, with each group actively researching and discussing issues in their respective sectors and making a series of important policy decisions. However, by the end of the game, policy points were running out and the number of policies that could be adopted was limited. Some regretted past policy decisions, and wondered if the global environment ministers could have achieved carbon neutrality in 2050 and kept the temperature rise within 1.6°C of the present…
At the end of the lecture, I gave my “Key Takeaways.
• Diverse Perspectives
• Long-Term Vision
• International Cooperation
I consider these to be essential to the realization of carbon neutrality. In addition, this program advocates “Inclusive Smart Society,” which I believe has much in common with the “Key Takeaways” for achieving carbon neutrality.
The one-hour lecture was quite lively and I, for one, was relieved. I would like to thank all the participants for their hard work. I hope you will make the most of this experience in your future studies and research.
Written by Prof. Daisuke Kodaira