Greetings from the Director of the Initiative

President of Tokyo Research Initiative for Sustainability YAMAMOTO Ryoichi Chairperson,
Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation

April 2022
In July 2021, the Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation declared a climate emergency in response to the current situation in which humanity is facing a serious climate crisis, with the aim of realizing carbon neutrality by 2050 and taking the lead in contributing to the realisation of a sustainable society.
Universities, as centres of learning, are essentially responsible for cultivating a high level of education and professional competence, as well as for deeply exploring the truth, creating new knowledge, and providing these findings to society at large. We believe that we have a social responsibility to play a central role in shaping a sustainable future.
Universities have the power to redesign the future. Universities are not only a centre of education and research, but also the heart of innovation and the training ground for future leaders, and it is important to promote eco-innovation in research, mainstreams the SDGs in education, empowers students as agents of change, and set an example to society by achieving carbon neutrality in its operations.
Tokyo Research Initiative for Sustainability (TRIS), established in January this year, aims to promote sustainability research that contributes to solving the problems of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government from an academic standpoint, and to deliver the research outcomes to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government in variety of ways.
In Tokyo, the 'Tokyo for the Future ' strategy was formulated in March 2021, aiming to create a sustainable cities  where growth and maturity are compatible. Its mission is to promote sustainability research to accelerate the progress towards a brighter Tokyo.
In the last twenty years, humanity has fundamentally changed its perceptions of the environment, economy, and civilization, and we are truly living in the "Anthropocene," a time when humans virtually dominate the planet.
We consider TRIS as a project that not only addresses the requirements of Tokyo which established it but also concerns "the Earth" which is the most important stakeholder for us in the current day.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation is taking a new step towards a sustainable future.

The initiatives of Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation

The Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation that works towards the realisation of a sustainable society is the first public university in Japan to declare a state of climate emergency.

Global warming caused by the significant quantity of greenhouse gases emitted by anthropogenic sources has become increasingly intense in recent years, culminating in extreme weather events every year. Countries around the world have declared a climate emergency to overcome this climate crisis and achieve carbon neutrality (plus or minus zero greenhouse gas emissions and absorption) by 2050.
　In response to the current situation in which humanity is facing a serious climate crisis, the Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation has issued a declaration of climate emergency to contribute to the realisation of a sustainable society, taking the initiative to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

Climate Emergency Declaration
by the Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation

With humankind facing a serious climate crisis, the Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation hereby declares a climate emergency in order to take the initiative in contributing to the realization of a sustainable society and to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050.

We will:

  1. Develop action plans for mitigation and adaptation of the climate change and reflect these activities in our operations as well as in education, research, and campus life.
  2. Collaborate widely with government and local authorities, other university corporations and related organizations, the general public, and private sector corporations.
  3. Develop human resources who will tackle the challenge of achieving carbon neutrality.
  4. Collaborate and cooperate with three educational institutions and promote efforts for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) including the climate action, by working with faculty, staff and students throughout the Corporation.

July 16, 2021

YAMAMOTO Ryoichi,
Chairperson, Tokyo Metropolitan Public University Corporation
OHASHI Takaya,
President, Tokyo Metropolitan University
KAWATA Seiichi,
President, Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology
WATANABE Kazuhito,
Principal, Tokyo Metropolitan College of Industrial Technology

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