President's Comments - June 10, 2008

For the Joint G8+ Science Academies’ Statements

10th June, 2008

 Aiming at the G8 Summit to be held in Toyako, Hokkaido, between 7th and 9th July, in Japan, the Science Council of Japan accomplished the two joint-statements: "Climate Change Adaptation and the Transition to a Low Carbon Society" and "Global Health," jointly with the academies of the G8 member countries and those of the relevant 5 nations (Brazil, China, India, Mexico and the South Africa). I submitted the statements to Mr. Yasuo Fukuda, Prime Minister, in hand, followed by the official publication today.

 Our two joint-statements were prepared through the deliberations made during the G8+5 Academies' Meeting held in March this year in Japan, on the two topics that will be discussed in the G8 Summit this year, "Climate Change" and "Global Health," and finalized based on the views, opinions and proposals from the scientists from the member academies. With such backgrounds, those statements are of strategic importance, in which we are appealing to the world leaders for the following aspects:

"Climate Change"

?Anthropogenic warming is already influencing physical, biological and human systems with rate and scale we have never experienced, and further impacts are inevitable. Strategic cooperative adaptation policy and actions by international community, in local, national and regional level, are urgently needed now.
?Low Carbon Society (LCS) can be realized by, in addition to low carbon energy supply and Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS), demand side efforts such as sustainable consumption/ transportation and efficient housing, endorsed by economic and policy measures. International cooperation to assist developing countries to leapfrog directly to LCS is the key to stabilize climate.

"Global Health"

?Through increasing international collaboration, technology transfer of the achievements towards developing countries, locally appropriate capacity building, the two, world most-serious disease burdens, infectious diseases and life-style-linked diseases, are to be addressed.
?Measures for sustainable forecast of abnormal proliferations in early stages are to be established and enhanced by international organizations, as well as public and private health-related institutes of each individual country.

The prime minister made the following remarks on this occasion:

 As both of "Climate Change" and "Global Health" are important issues relating to human security, I assume the lead in promoting the earnest discussions on those issues toward the G8 Summit meeting. I hope that the Science Council of Japan keeps its initiative in their activities.

 As it represents Japanese scientists, the Science Council of Japan remains actively committed to working closely with not only the member academies of the G8+5 nations but also scientists and academic research organizations at home and abroad, to solve issues for people across the globe.

Ichiro Kanazawa, President of the Science Council of Japan