Graduate School of Environmental Studies
Dean

A step to open up the future

It goes without saying that it is extremely difficult to find a solution to the complex intertwined environmental problems of the world. Different boundary conditions lead to different solutions, taking into account resource, energy, institutional, economic, and social/cultaural aspects. The faculty members of the Graduate School of Environmental Studies (GSES) are the top leaders in various academic fields not only in engineering and natural sciences but also in social sciences and the humanities. They have been leading their own fields and, at the same time, have communicated with each other to find a common horizon for Environmental Studies. Now, based on those achievements, we will take a step further toward a practical use of Environmental Studies, where we will be able to indicate a way to solve environmental issues by connecting the knowledge from diverse fields.

Now, many countries and regions in the world have committed to achieve carbon neutral operation by 2050. However, the path to reach this goal is still in a fog. Finding the route will be tasked to the present teenagers and those in their twenties. My desire is that the young people who are, or will be, studying in GSES will acquire skills in the specialized fields and play important roles in the community, society, and in the world. Furthermore, I hope they will obtain the ability to grasp the issues from a bird’s-eye view to select a better future for themselves and for others. GSES started with a single department of Environmental Studies, which was reorganized into the two departments of Environmental Studies for Advanced Society and Frontier Sciences for Advanced Environment in 2015, and has provided unique educational curriculums. Many international programs, as well as training programs, have been offered to achieve our educational goal. I hope the students will actively utilize these chances to deepen their studies.

There is never just one ''step toward the future'' that can be obtained from a variety of research menus. Let's move forward together toward the future, figuring out how to connect various steps and how to open up new opportunities.