Arab News Japan

TOKYO: Hokkaido University submitted a response to the CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) Climate Change Questionnaire 2022 on managing environmental impacts earlier this year and is now the first Japanese university to receive a score. The university was graded B.

According to the CDP website, “A B score indicates environmental management. Companies that score a B have addressed the environmental impacts of their business and ensure good environmental management. A B-score indicates that a company is showing some evidence of managing its environmental impact but is not undertaking actions that mark it out as a leader in its field.”

The Questionnaire is a way for entities such as cities and companies to self-report their environmental impacts on climate change, forests and water security. Hokkaido University is one of just three universities to disclose this year.

In a press release, the university said the result “has revealed how we can further improve our efforts to achieve carbon neutrality.”

Hokkaido University President HOUKIN Kiyohiro commented: “Through responding to this questionnaire for the first time, we have come to understand the various issues that we have to struggle with. As a Japanese national university, we would like to take this opportunity to strengthen our efforts to decarbonize, not only in research and education, but also as a business institution in the same way as a company.”

In 1997, Hokkaido University became the first university in Japan to establish a Campus Master Plan, which included sustainable campus development.

CDP Director MORISAWA Michiyo said: “I salute Hokkaido University for being the first university in Japan to promote disclosure through CDP’s global disclosure platform. Achieving carbon neutrality is the common challenge for all human beings, and it is required of all sectors, not only governments and corporations. Educational and research institutions, including universities, are also expected to play very significant roles in this endeavor. Hokkaido University’s disclosure on their climate change impacts will be an important step forward in expanding climate change efforts in Japan.”

CDP is a global non-profit that runs the world’s environmental disclosure system for companies, cities, states and regions.