As I write this message today, November 6th 2023, the temperature reached 25℃ in Tokyo where I am living. According to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), even just 10 years ago the monthly average temperature here in November was 13.5℃, and it’s clear this heat is unusual compared to the past. If this continues, by the time we’re grandmothers, I wonder what kind of climate our current elementary school students and children to be born in the future will live in, or if they will even be able to live at all.
It has become a well-known fact that fossil fuels are a factor in accelerating global warming, but I am personally also concerned about the health hazards caused by air pollution from fossil fuels. In 2021, Harvard University published a study showing that one in five deaths worldwide is attributable to air pollution from fossil fuels, and there is a solid sense that the number of people with allergies and other related health issues is steadily increasing compared to when I was a child.
There is also constant conflict throughout the world over fossil fuel resources.
So no matter how you look at it, the days of relying on fossil fuels are over! This is why I am hoping for a shift to ethical renewable energy that takes into account the lives of citizens and ecosystems of local communities.
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Born in Chiba Prefecture. She started her career as a fashion model at the age of 14 and has been active in Japan and abroad since 2006. She made her screen debut in the film “The Wolverine” (2013), and began writing and directing her own films in 2023. In addition to her work in film and fashion, she launched “Emerald Practices” on social media in 2020 to raise awareness of the climate crisis and animal rights, and began a podcast in May of the same year. Instagram: @taookamoto @emeraldpractices