Opening Session

Opening Remarks by
Mr. TANAKA Nobuo

(Chair of ICEF Steering Committee)

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Keynote

Johan Fredrik Rockström

Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Professor, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science at Potsdam University
Professor, Water Systems and Global Sustainability at the University of Stockholm

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Planetary Boundaries and the Energy Transition

Global environmental change has advanced significantly, with the global average temperature escalating over the years, culminating in the highest recorded level in 2023. The concept of planetary boundaries, established by the Stockholm Resilience Centre, comprises nine boundaries. These boundaries regulate the stability and resilience of Earth's systems and can instigate substantial environmental alterations that threaten our known way of life. In 2023, six of these nine boundaries were acknowledged to have been transgressed.
The urgency to act is paramount to comprehend the meaning of sustainability within a finite Earth system. The implications of the intricate and diverse global supply chain sectors, along with cross-sectoral interactions resulting in the depletion of natural resources on a global scale, require elucidation. It has been posited that material and energy flows might traverse organizational, administrative, and geographical boundaries, thereby instigating the transfer of environmental problems, the propagation of detrimental practices, governance issues, and, in certain circumstances, cross-border conflicts.
In light of the most recent updates on planetary boundaries, this session aims to evaluate the current condition of the planet, identify existing challenges, and deliberate on the requisite policies and innovations to construct a sustainable future.

Sally M. Benson

ICEF Steering Committee;
Professor, Energy Science and
Engineering, Stanford University;
Deputy Director for Energy and Chief
Strategist for the Energy Transition,
White House Office of Science and
Technology Policy

TANAKA Nobuo

Chair, ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA);
CEO, Tanaka Global, Inc

Hoesung Lee

ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Chair of the Intergovernmental
Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Johan Fredrik Rockström

Director, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research
Professor, Institute of Earth and Environmental Science at Potsdam University
Professor, Water Systems and Global Sustainability at the University of Stockholm

KAWAMOTO Tohru

Principal Researcher, AIST (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology)

ISHII Naoko

Special Presidential Envoy, The University of Tokyo;
Director, Center for Global Commons;
Professor, Institute for Future Initiatives

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Special Dialogue on Net-Zero and Circularity

Various paths to global green innovation have been shared through different perspectives, including state-of-the-art technologies, policies, and international cooperation. Decarbonization targets have been declared by numerous countries and companies, and they are stepping up their efforts to achieve a greener transition. In order to achieve these goals, it is essential to examine whether progress is being made towards decarbonization in reality and identify any difficulties that may exist.
Due to the global trend of tightening environmental regulations and the security of resources and energy, governments and companies need to enhance their management of the entire life cycle of products through supply/value chains, as well as their own production activities. To minimize the environmental impact of resource use, it's important to switch to an economic system that conserves and preserves products, materials, and resources for as long as possible, while minimizing waste generation.
The aim of this session is to gain a deeper understanding of the reality of green transition, emphasizing circularity or less wasteful economy, and supply/value chain.

Vaclav Smil

ICEF Steering Committee;
Distinguished Professor Emeritus, University of Manitoba

TANAKA Nobuo

Chair, ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA);
CEO, Tanaka Global, Inc

Ismail Serageldin

ICEF Steering Committee;
Co-Chair of the Board of Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC);
Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria;
Former VP of the World Bank

SAKANO Akira

ICEF Steering Committee;
Representative Director, Zero Waste Japan;
Co-Founder, Green innovation;
Director & CSO, ECOMMIT Co.,Ltd.

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Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR) and Solar Radiation Management (SRM)

To achieve carbon neutrality, the development and introduction of decarbonization technologies are becoming more important.
As an effective technology for carbon neutrality, various countries are investing in carbon dioxide removal (CDR), and geotechnologists are considering the possibility of adopting SRM (Solar Radiation Management). CDR includes various technologies, from afforestation and reforestation, soil carbon storage, biomass carbonization, BECCS (capture and storage of CO2 emitted during biomass energy use), DACCS (direct capture and storage of CO2 in the atmosphere), weathering promotion, carbon storage by biochar application, to carbon fixation by seaweed and seagrasses. In addition, the search for methods and technologies for SRM, such as solar radiation management by stratospheric injection of aerosols, is progressing, and while researchers are verifying its effectiveness, startups are gradually emerging. On the other hand, there is a possibility of conflicts of interest with biodiversity for some technologies, and there is also an aspect that the diffusion of some technologies is not progressing due to issues such as introduction costs.
In this session, we will discuss the perspectives of current geoengineering technologies centering on CDR and SRM, solutions for promoting their introduction, and the international framework.

Nebojsa Nakicenovic

ICEF Steering Committee;
Vice Chair of the Group of Chief Scientific Advisors (GCSA) to the European Commission;
Honorary and Emeritus Scholar, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA);
Emeritus Professor of Energy Economics, Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien)

KURODA Reiko

ICEF Steering Committee;
Designated Professor, Frontier Research Institute,
Chubu University;
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo;
Member, G7 GEAC (Gender Equality Advisory Council) 2023

YAMADA Hidetaka

Professor, Kanazawa University

Holly Jean Buck

Associate Professor, University at Buffalo

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Hydrogen Readiness

Many countries in the world are progressing towards a CO2 free social system by 2035 or 2040. In this situation, low-carbon hydrogen has the potential to play an important role in decarbonizing many sectors including heavy industry, heavy duty transportation and power. Extensive infrastructure will be required for that purpose, including pipelines, power plants and hydrogen storage facilities. In Germany and some other countries, there is a dialogue about whether gas power plants which receive state aid are “hydrogen ready,” with a need for clear definitions. More broadly, countries around the world are considering how to transition existing infrastructure to the use of low-carbon hydrogen and the types of technologies that will be needed as this industry scales. Now a days, Technological innovation projects to encourage the transition of infrastructure to hydrogen-ready is underway in all over the world. For instance, a Japanese company, a U.S. company, and a French company collaborated to develop pipeline technology. In addition, the Indian government supports pilot projects in areas such as steel, long-range heavy-duty mobility, shipping, and energy storage, where fossil fuels and fossil-based feedstocks are replaced with green hydrogen. The session will discuss the potential of the low-carbon hydrogen to realize net zero society and its challenges to achieve hydrogen ready.

David Sandalow

ICEF Steering Committee;
Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University;
Co-Director, Energy and
Environment Concentration,
School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

Georg Erdmann

ICEF Steering Committee;
Retired Chair of Energy Systems, Faculty of Process Engineering, Berlin University of Technology;
President of the Board, KSB Energie AG, Berlin

SADAMORI Keisuke

Director, Energy Markets and Security，International Energy Agency (IEA)

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Food and Agriculture

At the COP28, for the first time ever, a leader’s level declaration (COP28 UAE Food Declaration) was issued focusing on the interactions of food systems and climate change. This declaration advocates for the promotion of innovation aimed at enhancing sustainable productivity with the objective of sustainable development and fortification of climate change response in the food, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector as well as encouraging the requisite shifts in sustainable consumption and production that will be required to achieve such sustainable productivity. 159 countries endorsed this declaration, pledging support for food security that takes climate change into account.
Under the World Food Program (WFP), the United Nations is providing support for climate change issues, such as droughts, floods, and storms, in 42 countries. However, solely in 2022, nearly 57 million people were plunged into a state of hunger due to climate impacts, indicating a global need for protection and support.
The food, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector is often considered a sink for carbon dioxide. Conversely, it is also a significant source of GHG emissions. Numerous countries and private companies are increasingly motivated to find solutions to reduce and control these emissions.
Furthermore, the recent surge in crop prices has escalated concerns about global food security.
In this session, we will discuss the current issues of the food systems in the food, agriculture, forestry, and fisheries sector, and deliberate on measures to mitigate these issues, strategies for appropriate food security, and economic efficiency towards rapid transformation for sustainable development and climate change response in this sector.

Adnan Z. Amin

ICEF Steering Committee;
Senior Research Fellow, Belfer Center
for Science and International Affairs,
Harvard University’s Kennedy School
of Government;
Director General Emeritus, IRENA;
Senior Adviser to COP 28 President

Valli Moosa

ICEF Steering Committee;
Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission;
Former President, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)

UKI Toshiharu

Director General, Agriculture and Food Technology Unit, Technology and Innovation Strategy Center, New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

Joko Tri Rubiyanto

Youth Policy Board - Asia Pacific, World Food Forum (WFF);
Food Project Consultant, RISE Foundation Indonesia

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Innovative Finance

Ismail Serageldin

ICEF Steering Committee;
Co-Chair of the Board of Nizami Ganjavi International Center (NGIC);
Emeritus Librarian of Alexandria;
Former VP of the World Bank

Changhua Wu

ICEF Steering Committee;
China / Asia Director,
Office of Jeremy Rifkin;
Chair, Governing Council,
Asia Pacific Water Forum

Jon D. Moore

ICEF Steering Committee;
Chief Executive Officer, BloombergNEF

Hafez Ghanem

Senior Fellow, Policy Center for the New South;
Nonresident Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution

Amir A. Dossal

President and CEO, Global Partnerships Forum;
Founding Commissioner, Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development;
Former Distinguished Fellow, World Economic Forum Centre for Health and Healthcare

KONISHI Satoshi

CEO, Kyoto Fusioneering Ltd.;
Professor, School of Energy Science, Kyoto University;
Chairman, Japan Fusion Energy Council

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ICEF Roadmap Project：Artificial Intelligence for Climate Change Mitigation 2.0

David Sandalow

ICEF Steering Committee;
Inaugural Fellow, Center on Global Energy Policy, Columbia University;
Co-Director, Energy and Environment Concentration, School of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University

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Future of Nuclear Energy

Eija-Riitta Korhola

ICEF Steering Committee;
Delegate of the Consultative
Commission for Industrial Change
European Economic and Social Committee

YAMAJI Kenji

ICEF Steering Committee;
President, Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth (RITE);
Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo

TANAKA Nobuo

Chair, ICEF Steering Committee;
Former Executive Director, International Energy Agency (IEA);
CEO, Tanaka Global, Inc

IWATA Natsumi

Professor, Institute of Laser Engineering, Osaka University

Jeff Waksman

Program Manager, US Department of Defense

Jooho Whang

CEO, Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power

Diane Melissa Jessica Cameron

Head of Division of Nuclear Technology Development and Economics, NEA (OECD)

SEKIGUCHI Mina

Managing Partner, Resonancia LLC;
Non Executive Director, Penta Ocean Construction Company;
Auditor, Japan Atomic Energy Agency

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Sustainable Marine Transport

Georg Erdmann

ICEF Steering Committee;
Retired Chair of Energy Systems, Faculty of Process Engineering, Berlin University of Technology;
President of the Board, KSB Energie AG, Berlin

Vikram Singh Mehta

ICEF Steering Committee;
Chairman, Center for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP) Research Foundation

KAWAKITA Chiharu

Project Manager of Green Innovation Fund Project (Next-generation Ship Development), New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO)

ROKURODA Takahiro

General Manager, Next Generation Fuel Business Group, NYK LINE

Shu-Ling Chen

Director, Centre for Maritime and Logistics Management, Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania;
Associate Professor, Australian Maritime College, University of Tasmania

Selma Brynolf

Researcher, Chalmers University of Technology

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Young Innovators

Valli Moosa

ICEF Steering Committee;
Deputy Chairperson of the Presidential Climate Change Coordinating Commission;
Former President, International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN)

SAKANO Akira

ICEF Steering Committee;
Representative Director, Zero Waste Japan;
Co-Founder, Green innovation;
Director & CSO, ECOMMIT Co.,Ltd.

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Closing Session

Quick Comments
(Takeaways, Comment for ICEF 2025) from each SC Member

Announcement of the Roadmap by David Sandalow

(ICEF Steering Committee)

Announcement of the Statement from the Steering Committee by YAMAJI Kenji

(ICEF Steering Committee)

Final Thoughts on the Event by TANAKA Nobuo

(Chair of ICEF Steering Committee)

Closing Remarks by SAITO Tamotsu

(Chairman of New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO))

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