Ecotech Grand Prix 2023 From the Greetings from the President of the Jury
Kazuhiro Hasegawa, Executive Officer, CHO, Liverness, Inc.
Total weight of artifacts exceeded total weight of organisms
1.1 trillion tons. Suddenly, guess what the number is?
In 2020, a very impactful paper was published in the British scientific journal Nature. In 2020, the British scientific journal Nature published a very impactful paper that reported that the total weight of man-made objects exceeded the total weight of all living things, which is 1.1 trillion tons.
At the beginning of the 20th century, when looking at organisms versus artifacts, the ratio of artifacts was only 31 TP3T. In the past 100 years or so, this has increased to a volume as large as the total weight of living organisms, and it is predicted that 20 years from now, around 2040, the total weight of man-made objects will more than triple. I think this article is symbolic of the fact that we live in an era in which things are moving at an accelerating pace. I am not trying to say that artifacts are a bad thing. I am trying to convey the fact that there is a situation in which artifacts are increasing very rapidly.
And at the beginning of the Agri-Tech Grand Prix, one of the areas of the Tech Planter this time, Shuichiro Takahashi, President of LIVERNESS, spoke about how "the earth is like Lego blocks. What this means is that all the materials on the earth are all in circulation, that nothing suddenly disappears or increases, and that various things are created and piled up within the already existing materials on the earth.
In the future, when the total weight of man-made materials will increase beyond the total weight of living organisms, the circulation on the earth will probably not be possible only with a circulation system centered on living organisms. It will become an extremely important theme to consider the circulation of materials, including not only living organisms but also artifacts.
Circulation" and "Harmony" are important in the ecotech field.
And about this Eco-Tech Grand Prix. Every year in September and October, RIVANES has continued its efforts to gather deep issues (unsolved problems) in various fields and create a collection of technologies for deep techies to tackle them, within the framework of the Tech Planter.
Deep Tech, Agri-Tech, Biotech, Marine Tech, MedTech, Food Tech. There are social challenges in every field. So what kind of field is this ecotech? For myself, it is the solution of all issues on the earth and the solution of social issues that must be done at the same time. I believe that ecotech is the technology that makes this sustainable. Therefore, the two keywords "circulation" and "harmony" are very important in the field of ecotech.
We are now entering a new era, a time of great change. Artifacts will continue to increase. This is inevitable as we continue to enrich our lives and solve the world's problems. At the same time, we will have to think about how to harmonize with this trend.
This Tech Planter originally started as an acceleration program to see how R&D startups could grow. Now, it has become a large project that combines the knowledge and core technologies brought by various people to solve various problems with a collection of science and technology = deep tech.
The finalists who are here today, like all of you, are companies that have a problem to solve and a desire to solve it with their own technology. Each of them is striving to solve the issues with their leadership.
Proactively address issues as a "knowledge manufacturer
Liverness also continues to face great challenges. We have always branded our company as a "knowledge platform. It is a platform where various technologies and knowledge are gathered, where new technologies are created, and where issues can be solved. We have further developed it and rebranded it as "Knowledge Manufacturing" in 2023. This means that we will take a step beyond the format of a platform that provides a "place" for everyone, and we ourselves will take a leadership role in proactively working to solve issues.
This year, RIVERNESS has launched and is promoting the "RIVERNESS FOREST PROJECT". This was started by a venture company, GALANSIYANG Inc. (Galansian), which we met in the Philippines. In their country, mines have been left as bald piles after being mined. This company has an awareness of the issues and core technology to restore the abundant greenery there. When we received their message, we realized that while restoring the forests was a challenge for them, it was also a big challenge for Japan and other parts of the world. We decided that we needed the technology and passion of companies of all sizes and from all industries to solve this problem, so we launched this project with the participation of Tech Planter partners, startups, and companies outside of this framework.
To create new knowledge by combining knowledge with knowledge. And to solve unsolved problems with that knowledge. This is what LIVERNESS stands for: "Knowledge Manufacturing. This framework includes the finalists who are here today, the judges, and our partner companies. Together with you, we will solve unprecedented challenges. This is the worldview we are aiming for with Knowledge Manufacturing.
Techplanter is not a business plan contest, nor is it a place to evaluate you. It is a knowledge manufacturing site where we work together with you to solve all kinds of problems around the world. The important thing is to tell us what the challenges are for you and what your personal passions are. Please be absolutely sure to tell us that much. We can all think about the other parts, but only you can tell us your Question and Passion. We want you to make sure that you deliver this to us.
Judges, some of today's presentations may not ring a bell when you hear them. This is natural, as there is a wide range of fields and each of you has your own areas of expertise. You may also be in a position where you are here as representatives of your company. However, it is the passion and sensitivity of the individual that ultimately matters when it comes to getting things done. Therefore, I urge you to get a sense of the perspectives and sensitivities of the finalists.
And the members of RIVANES will serve as leaders. As I mentioned earlier, in the knowledge manufacturing industry, Liberace will take the initiative to solve our own problems. We will involve many people here and we will take the leadership to solve the issues.
Finally, I would like to reiterate. The times are changing dramatically, and a new era of knowledge manufacturing is coming. I would like to spend this time today, the start of that new era, with you all. I look forward to working with you today.
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