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The basic concept of "Ecotechnology"

Modern technology which originated in the mid-1700s with the start of the Industrial Revolution has had two contrasting effects on humankind. While it has been of considerable benefit to our quality of life and production of abundant food crops, it has resulted in global environmental degradation through unrestrained consumption of fossil fuels and natural resources, with the consequential release of waste products. In the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, the influence of human activities on the global environment was insignificant. However, in the past several decades, this influence has rapidly come to threaten our health and lifestyles as well as the ecosystem. In addition, some of our natural resources could potentially be depleted in the latter half of the 21st century.

From our perspective, consideration of three important points is necessary. The first is desire for resource sustainability over generations. Present resource utilization need not endanger future uses of that resource. The second is appreciation of regional gaps. The rural environment must not be sacrificed by urban activities, and the environment of the developing world must not be damaged in order to sustain industrialization in developed countries. The third is attention to mutualism. Human activities must be in balance with the ecosystem that has a limited capacity for receiving pollutants, and we must ensure human progress while conserving other species on Earth.

To ensure sustainable development while protecting the environment, NIRE has proposed a novel scientific and technological concept, named "Ecotechnology." This idea unifies technology with ecology, with the latter being based on mutualism recycling/regeneration in a broad sense.

NIRE's Role

The role of NIRE is to conduct fundamental research toward the development of "Ecotechnology," which is classified into three categories; MEI and MERU technologies, environmental behavior of offensive substances, and evaluation of environmental, energy and societal safety.

In the first category, MEI (Minimum Environmental Impact) technologies include generic processes that emit less pollutants, recover and detoxify pollutants, and remediate the polluted environment. MERU (Maximum Energy and Resources Utilization ) technologies are related to energy and resources conservation, and the development of new resources and energy. The second category is exemplified by source inventories of environmentally offensive substances, and the elucidation and modeling of their behavior with respect to transportation and transformation in the environment. The third category relates to the construction of a system for the evaluation of environmental impacts, energy usage, chemical materials safety, and the hazards to society.

In pursuit of human progress through advances in science and technology, NIRE has contributed to energy and resources development, and environmental protection. In view of creation of Ecotechnology to ensure sustainable development, we will endeavor to make further progress in research and development to unify industrial technologies with environmental technologies.