1999
Foreword

Dr. Michio Kuriyagawa, Director-General NIRE

Owing to the continuing expansion of human activities since the Industrial Revolution, environmental damage that was formerly localized now affects the entire globe, which underpins the very existence of humanity; we now have a situation in which that damage first manifests itself to future generations rather than at present. Now more than ever we must recognize that the Earth is finite, and make our activities subject to the various limitations imposed by the overall global system.

If humanity is to achieve sustainable development in the 21st century, technological development too must be oriented toward supporting that goal, and for that purpose it is essential that we devise resource and energy utilization technologies that facilitate the cycle like ecosystem. We believe this will mean a reform, the renunciation of open-system technology that involves a one-way progression from resource extraction to disposal, and adopting cyclical, closed-system technology.

At the National Institute for Resources and Environment(NIRE), we propose "ecotechnology", a concept that melds ecology, which is based on ecosystem cycles, with technology; we pursue our research with the aim of developing technologies that achieve both global environmental conservation and sustainable development for humanity.

I am so pleased that we could publish NIRE Annual Report 1999 to introduce you our recent research activities.