Fujitsu Joins COP28 to Share Its Vision for a Decarbonized Society

As one of the world's leading oil producers, the UAE was a striking setting for a gathering of world leaders to discuss pressing topics including climate action and energy, as well as global health and peace.
Issues surrounding fossil fuels were a major focus of the conference—notably, extensive discussions led participant nations to agree to an eventual elimination of fossil fuel usage. Ambitious targets were set to aid in achieving this goal: a threefold increase in renewable energy production and a doubling of energy efficiency worldwide by 2030.
During the various discussions held during the session, participants voiced opinions about climate action being long overdue and requiring swift action, and how essential it is to move away from existing ideas and assumptions and look at the problem holistically, not just individual parts.

The COP28 Japan Pavilion played host to a seminar entitled "Working Together to Achieve a 1.5°C Sustainable Decarbonized Society" on December 5, which included speakers from private companies, local governments, and foundations. Ichiro Aoyagi who heads Fujitsu Uvance, a business model for tackling societal issues, attended the meeting and presented his views on climate change and the countermeasures Fujitsu is taking.

The discussion also focused on what policies to expect from national governments. The speakers expressed their views that the government should present a long-term vision, such as "When governments define their future prospects and paths, and when to spend money and invest more clearly, companies can confidently chart their future strategies."

"At COP28, almost every session is talking about actions and collaborations. The core part is: how do governments allow the private sector to take action quickly without being bombarded with regulations that differ country by country and industry by industry," Aoyagi says. "At Fujitsu, we would like to drive a circular economy, and we believe that data transparency and trust is important. Everyone talks about technology adaptation and AI, but in the end, if the data itself is not trustworthy, what can technology do? Nothing. We need to harmonize data with different countries’ regulations and around CO2 emissions. I think that’s the most important thing. How can we lower the barriers so companies can take action and build a foundation for data trust? I think that’s what governments can do."