President’s Address at the 2021 Osaka University Autumn Graduation Ceremony (September 24, 2021)

On behalf of Osaka University, it is my great pleasure to sincerely congratulate all those undergraduate and graduate students who are about to take the next step from Osaka University today.

I am immensely proud of you for your strength and tireless efforts in completing your studies through hard work despite the great challenges brought by the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, I would like to commend the international students for their extraordinary effort and cross-cultural skills, which have enabled them to overcome differences in language, culture, and way of life and continue their studies in Japan away from their homes in these difficult circumstances.

I would also like to express my heartfelt respect and gratitude to the families who supported the students in their studies and research on the long road to graduation.

The New Japan National Stadium as an Embodiment of the SDGs

This summer, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games were held after a one-year postponement and mostly without spectators. The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic made the Tokyo 2020 Games an unusual and unprecedented event in the history of the Olympics.

The New Japan National Stadium built for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics astounded the world for its groundbreaking design, which sharply contrasts with modern large architecture built with huge amounts of concrete and steel.

In designing the stadium, the architect, KUMA Kengo, chose domestic wood over concrete and steel. He modeled the stadium building after Horyu-ji Temple in Nara.

Horyu-ji Temple is the world’s oldest extant wooden building. It was constructed about 1,300 years ago and some of the temple’s timber frames are still the original ones. People of the time took into account the next thousands of years when building the five-story pagoda of Horyu-ji Temple, which still rises high into the sky without the slightest leaning.

Temple carpenters say wood has two lives. The first is as a tree that spreads its roots in the soil and stretches toward the sky as part of the ecosystem. The second is as timber, used to support buildings. I learned that timber can live as long as the tree from which it was cut if maintained properly. The timber used to build Horyu-ji Temple was cut from Japanese cypress with a lifespan of 2,000 years. This means that the original timber of the temple can continue to be used for another 700 years. Of course, timber is a natural material that can deteriorate over time, but Horyu-ji Temple is said to have been designed in a manner that allows any damage to be easily repaired.

Thus, ancient wooden buildings are truly sustainable.

Perhaps the word “sustainable” reminds you of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

As you know, the SDGs are a set of 17 global goals to be achieved worldwide by 2030. They were adopted unanimously by the United Nations in 2015 under the principle: leaving no one behind.

The SDGs are now being promoted by public entities, such as national and local governments and schools, while measures to achieve the SDGs have become an important consideration when determining Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategies and investment and financing policies. How could the SDGs become a global movement so quickly? I would like to answer that question as a way of giving you my best wishes today.

Considering Global Issues as Our Own

When thinking about the relation between the New Japan National Stadium and Horyu-ji Temple, I realized that the conventional pattern of economic growth, which heavily depends on mass consumption and production, may be coming to an end. Concrete infrastructure and reinforced steel buildings that last only about 100 years are a symbol of the prosperity brought by economic growth.

I also realized that the process of the world’s economic growth, which started in the Age of Exploration, is now at a critical turning point. Starting in the 15th century, the European powers proceeded to colonize countries in Africa, America, and Asia and established an economic system supported by mass consumption. This system, however, created a divide between the north “the haves” and the south “the have-nots.”

Various inter-governmental discussions were held to try to solve this north-south problem on a global scale, but the world could not reach a global consensus due to conflicts between national and organizational interests and backgrounds.

In recent years, people around the world have come to the realization, almost simultaneously, that crises such as regional conflicts, natural disasters, and pandemics can suddenly cripple economic growth and business activities, which have long been taken for granted, and that we can lose our jobs at any time. The hardships brought about by such crises can affect anyone, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, age, or income. How can we achieve sustainable development while facing these grave risks?

The SDGs contain clues to answering this question. I think this is one of the reasons why the SDGs have become a global movement so rapidly.

Unlike treaties and contracts, the SDGs have no legal binding force. The SDGs are not merely someone else’s agenda, but an agenda relevant to us all, which requires people around the world to address issues together and contribute to the future of our planet.

The underlying principles of the SDGs are, “leaving no one is behind,” and “transforming our world.” I hope each of you will consider global issues as your own and take action as responsible members of society. I think such awareness is crucial.

There are many issues that are easily dismissed as someone else’s and in which it is hard to take a serious interest, even though we feel pity for those affected. I believe the SDGs have the power to inspire us to accept such issues as our own, and act to help solve them.

I encourage you to explore what you can do in your everyday life, starting from today. Implement sustainable practices, such as avoiding food loss, reducing your power consumption, and bringing a reusable bag when shopping. Set such goals individually, make them your personal SDGs, and act on them. This is what society requires of us all for the future.

Changing the Role of Scientists

Science holds the key to achieving the SDGs.

While it is true that science has led to technological development so far, it cannot be denied that science and technology also have adversely affected the Earth’s environment, ecosystems, and human equality.

About 60 years ago, Rachel Carson, a researcher of wildlife and its protection, published Silent Spring, describing the harmful effects of agricultural pesticides and other chemicals on the ecosystems.

About 50 years ago, in 1972, the Club of Rome, an organization of scientists and experts from around the world, issued a report titled “The Limits to Growth,” which estimated that if nothing were done about population growth, pollution, and resource depletion, the growth of human society would reach its limit in 100 years. I still remember being shocked when I read this report as a university student. The accuracy of this forecast, considering it was the result of rudimentary computer simulations in the early days of computer science, still amazes me. I am deeply moved by the pioneering work and enthusiasm of those scientists to look into the future.

In 1985, an international conference was held in Villach, Austria, to assess the state of scientific knowledge relating to climate change. The group of scientists declared that the first half of the 21st century could witness a rise in global temperature on an unprecedented scale.

And in 1996, Our Stolen Future was published, in which Theo Colborn, who served as a senior scientist at the World Wildlife Fund, and other co-authors argued that synthetic chemicals, such as dioxins, could cause endocrine disruption in living organisms, even at a low dose of one-trillionth of a gram, and cause irreversible consequences to ecosystems.

As shown by these cases, scientists have warned society time and time again. Such warnings attracted public attention temporarily, but have not lasted long enough to build momentum and truly change society. This was due to the prioritization of economic growth despite the awareness of the problems cited by these scientists.

However, it is the younger generation, including you, who have brought to light the deception of our society.

At the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, commonly known as the Earth Summit, a 12-year-old girl, Severn Suzuki, gave a speech in which she said, “If you don’t know how to fix it, please stop breaking it! You grown-ups say you love us. But I challenge you, please, make your actions reflect your words.”

In 2019, about 30 years after the Earth Summit, environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who was 16 years old at the time, spoke at the United Nations Climate Action Summit. You may remember her words, spoken with tears in her eyes and a trembling voice, “… all you can talk about is money and fairy tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you! For more than 30 years, the science has been crystal clear.”

The desperate cries of these young people have made us realize how the conventional pattern of economic growth has damaged the natural environment, and that future generations may have to suffer the consequences of our actions. The cries of the young people also are the cries of voiceless creatures, like polar bears starving due to the shrinking Arctic sea ice caused by climate change, and dead whales washed up on beaches, their stomachs full of plastic waste.

I think now is the last chance for us to fully embrace science once again and reconsider the meaning of true happiness which cannot be achieved with economic development alone. Scientists should not merely act as monitoring stations that issue warnings based on obtained data. Instead, they must proactively and continuously communicate with citizens, especially the young generation leading the future, and together as global citizens, chart a new course for humanity.

Going Beyond the SDGs

The SDGs are goals we must achieve to ensure our survival; for all people, living organisms, the next generation, and the sustainability of planet Earth itself.

How we act should not be set by national governments or politicians. Excessive self-sacrifice is not necessary, either. Each of you must take actions you are comfortable with, based on accurate information you gather and your beliefs backed by that information. When these actions, each taken in a slightly different way, resonate with one another and reach more people, a community will be formed. I believe that then, the principle of the SDGs, “leaving no one behind,” will be met.

What can you do to ensure leaving no one behind? I hope you will seriously reflect on the meaning of this phrase.

You are firsthand witnesses of the global economic stagnation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet, you have continued to have hope amid this difficult time while adapting to the new normal way of living. In this sense, you are the first generation of the SDGs.

EXPO 2025 Osaka, Kansai will be held in four years’ time. With the theme “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” this event will serve as a litmus test to assess whether the SDGs can be achieved or not. I hear that some EXPO pavilions will be designed and created by young people.

How will you design the society of the future? How will you shine in that society?

How will you leverage the broad knowledge, networks, and academic expertise acquired at Osaka University, and how will you share these assets with society and citizens?

I have high expectations for you and look forward to seeing how you grow in your respective career paths.

In return, I ask that you observe Osaka University to see whether we truly serve the local community and act for global development, faithful to our motto, “Live Locally, Grow Globally.”

Whenever you have a chance to visit Osaka University, let’s talk and exchange information. Tell us about the systems you are designing for a better society. I look forward to meeting again and promise that Osaka University, like you, will continue evolving long into the future.

I heartily wish you every success and good luck.

Once again, congratulations on your graduation today.

September 24, 2021

NISHIO Shojiro

President of Osaka University

*A PDF version of this address can be downloaded here.