Aiming for Carbon Neutrality Through Work Styles and Architectural Design
Issuing a “Climate Emergency Declaration”

Nikken Sekkei Ltd. (Headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director President and CEO: Atsushi Omatsu) issued a “Climate Emergency Declaration” on March 19, 2021. This declaration represents the company’s commitment, from the perspective of a private-sector firm, to explore ways to balance economic activity with the realization of a decarbonized society and to advocate for these goals within society.Moving forward, with 2050 as our target, we plan to propose and work toward realizing a model for achieving carbon neutrality through work styles and urban and architectural design, while also sharing this vision with our clients and society at large and encouraging their participation.

　In 1972, a study was published by the Club of Rome, an international think tank, stating that “if the present growth trends in…pollution…continue unchanged, the limits to growth on this planet will be reached sometime within the next one hundred years”. This “Limit to Growth” is now approaching a sense of reality.
　In 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted as the new global framework for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The agreement calls for efforts at the global level to achieve significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions with a goal of limiting the average global temperature increase to below 1.5 degrees Celsius.
　In Japan, the government has declared that the country will be carbon neutral by 2050, meaning that greenhouse gas emissions as a whole will be reduced to zero by 2050. Currently, about one-third of Japan’s greenhouse gas emissions are generated from the commercial and residential sectors. Greenhouse gas emissions from architectural structures designed by Nikken Sekkei are expected to account for nearly 4% of this total.
　Nikken Sekkei has consolidated its knowledge and experience in urban and architectural design and engineering and has been afforded opportunities to co-create with an extensive list of clients. We do not regard the climate change crisis lightly, and as a member of the urban and architectural community, we hereby declare a climate emergency so that we can realize the creation of a carbon-neutral society by 2050.

1. We will innovate how we work to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Nikken Sekkei’s corporate activities to zero by 2050.
2. We will pose carbon-neutral models for urban and architectural designs and work styles by 2050 and present required measures to be taken between 2021 and 2050 in annual plans using a back casting approach.
3. We will propose flexible systems that integrate the functions of infrastructure and architecture to encourage carbon-neutral practices in our daily lives, looking ahead to communities of the future that will repeat the process of converging and dispersing.
4. We will support the establishment of screening systems to evaluate the environmental considerations of the company and contribute to the promotion of ESG in real estate and investment in urban infrastructure.
5. We will share with our clients the need for urgent action and help them find solutions to problems and will communicate with the public to create a message that will resonate with society.

As a company deeply involved in urban development and architecture, we have always regarded the environment as one of our top priorities. Witnessing climate change—which causes significant damage worldwide, including global warming driven by greenhouse gases and the various natural disasters it triggers—we believe that even as a private company, we have a responsibility to take action for society. Together with not only our company but also all those connected to us, we have decided to implement concrete plans to build the sustainable society envisioned by the SDGs for the survival of the Earth and humanity. As a first step, we have issued a “Climate Emergency Declaration.”

■What Is a Climate Emergency Declaration?
A Climate Emergency Declaration is a statement issued to prioritize policy-making, planning, and campaigns in response to the climate crisis and to accelerate action on climate change. To date, such declarations have primarily been issued by government agencies, schools, and organizations.

Examples: November 19, Reiwa 2—Resolution of the House of Representatives Plenary Session; November 20, Reiwa 2—Resolution of the House of Councillors Plenary Session
January 20, Reiwa 3: Architectural Institute of Japan