World Bosai Essay

It is said that Torahiko Terada left the phrase "natural disasters come just when you forget about them" after the Great Kanto Earthquake in 1923, but in recent years, disasters such as earthquakes and typhoons have been occurring every year, and "they come even when you don't forget about them." However, both earthquakes and typhoons have a cycle, and it seems that there are times when major earthquakes occur frequently and times when strong typhoons come. This is evident in history. However, pollution, climate change, and global warming, where the environment is changed by human activities, are bringing new threats to humanity. Decarbonization of energy sources has become a necessity, and a welcome one at that, but the road to this point has not been smooth at all. In a capitalist economy, growth has long been considered a good thing, and the idea of maximizing profits by increasing efficiency has been widely accepted. However, it is only today that we are finally realizing the cost of continuing to burden the global environment. This began with Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" in 1962 and the Club of Rome's "Limits to Growth" in 1972. Recently, however, climate change has had a major impact, as the "IPCC Reports" have become the bible. These books and reports can be said to be the wisdom of mankind, but they are technical and difficult in some respects, so it is important to translate them so that general public and children, who will be the leaders of the next generation, can understand them.

 

On the other hand, in today's world, Godzilla global corporations such as GAFA are rapidly dominating information, and with the advent of AI, individuals are becoming more and more apathetic and dwarfed, creating a world that cannot compete with them. In 1936, Chaplin's movie "Modern Times" was released in the U.S. The industrial revolution brought a wave of mechanization to society, and in the movie, exploited workers became part of the gears, cameras were installed in the restrooms, and managers scolded workers for smoking and slacking off. I believe that many workplaces are using remote work due to COVID-19, but I feel that the essence of work has not changed from Chaplin's time to the present. I am an optimist who believes that human potential is infinite, but I think that young people's sense of helplessness (no matter how much they try, the world will never change), pessimism, pessimism, and momentism are serious problems.

 

However, the existence of Ms. Greta and Malala, both teenage girls, has lit a ray of hope in an apathetic world. They proved that when one person makes a serious decision and takes action, their enthusiasm is widely felt in the community and society, and has the power to change the international community. Do you despair at your small existence in front of a thick wall, or do you try to overcome the wall believing that you can definitely overcome it? This difference in the vectors of consciousness may allow us to nurture the seeds of unexpected possibilities that are inherent in human beings. There are some criticisms that these women "don't know the world" or that "someone is using them to lure them," but in order to create new values, it would be impossible for adults who have already established a common sense form of thinking that this is idealistic and not realistic. At the very least, I would like to express my utmost respect for Ms. Greta, who has had a real impact on solving the problems of climate change and climate crisis, and Ms. Malala, who continues to appeal for women's rights even in the face of death.

 

In this context, the activities of the World BOSAI Forum should not be insane or antisocial in order to create value. However, when a great idea is born, it is almost always criticized and not accepted by sensible adults at first. It may seem outlandish or even painful to hear, but I would rather cherish such ideas and do not deny from the beginning at least. At the same time, we would like to create the value of disaster risk reduction in the world with "selfless and common senseless" spirits, and I would appreciate your understanding and support.