ILO Office for Japan Future of Work Interview Series
#4: “Renewable Energy, Local Revitalization and Green Jobs”
Professor Makoto Nishikido
Faculty of Sustainability Studies at Hosei University
Environmental issues including climate change are challenges that have major implications on the world of work as well as the survival of the human race. Clean, renewable energy is an important aspect of the future of work that can contribute to decarbonizing economic activities and making them sustainable. In this Future of Work interview, we asked Professor Makoto Nishikido from the Faculty of Sustainability Studies at Hosei University about renewable energy, local revitalization, and green jobs. His areas of specialization include environmental sociology, social movement theory, and regional sociology. He has authored various books on issues such as cultural approaches to social movement, risks and governance of renewable energy, and earthquake disasters and local revitalization.
ILO Office for Japan (ILO): In thinking about the future of work, the ILO focuses on pursuing growth and development, employment creation, and environmental sustainability at the same time. Japan has signed the Paris Agreement, which is the international framework for greenhouse gas reduction, and domestically has a medium-term goal to cut greenhouse gas by 26% by 2030 (compared to the 2013 levels). How important will it be to use environmentally friendly renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, in place of fossil energy?
Professor Makoto Nishikido (MN): Renewable energy has already become the international standard. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an increase in the use of renewable energy is necessary as it is cheaper, safer and more territorially distributed compared to nuclear energy. Technology for renewable energy has greatly improved and the Japanese government, if willing, can have more ambitious targets. Renewable energy does not produce radioactive waste and because it is more territorially distributed, it also mitigates risk. Inequality between cities and rural areas has been an issue and energy development which is not led by the central government can lead to locally-led revitalization of sustainable local economies. There have been examples of recycling of solar panels, which can be managed without significant capital. Use of these solar panels can also be possible in developing countries.
ILO: What is needed for successful local renewable energy projects?
MN: Solar panels have become popular and the technology has greatly improved. In snowing regions such as Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures, which have been considered unsuitable for solar power, there are many enterprises which have renewable energy projects. There are also examples in which farmers are earning additional income from solar panels set up in their fields through solar sharing. Furthermore, following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, there have been locally-led energy enterprises in Tokyo, a city with mass energy consumption. For social business to be successful in local production and maintenance of renewable energy it is crucial that business is rooted in the community and that the managers are committed to the business for a long period of time. In addition, it requires the support of specialists with expertise in financial resource mobilization and a regulatory framework that doesn't just rely on government. An issue that needs to be given more consideration is that major developers quickly wind up businesses that become unprofitable.
MN: Institutional support is also important. For example, there is a case that a local government (city of Iida) declared by an ordinance that they will create renewable energy. Cooperating with and contributing to the community was one of the conditions for Hachijo-jima in selecting a geothermal power developer. Again, successful businesses will need to leverage the four themes of: community, financial institutions, institutional support, and regulatory framework.
ILO: The ILO produces the annual “World Employment and Social Outlook” report, and the 2018 report will be on “greening with jobs”. How can we expect businesses related to renewable energy to create green jobs?
MN: There is an example in which a consumer cooperative that developed a relationship with a local community through renewable energy business also developed food products using local ingredients, in addition to the creation of jobs related to setting up and maintaining solar panels. I am not especially familiar with the definition of green jobs, but in addition to the dimension of work that is profitable while reducing the negative impact on the environment, secondary effects surrounding green jobs are also an important element. For example, a company in Aomori prefecture conducts maintenance of wind power using the same skills as used in automobile maintenance. In Gifu prefecture, there is a case in which a small hydro power business using agricultural waterways built in the past attracted outside visitors, which led to the increase in young migrants from outside the community. One of the challenges of renewable energy projects in communities is that an initial success does not always lead to the development of a new generation that can continue the business, which can be a common challenge in local revitalization projects. Recently, there is an increasing trend of younger people moving to rural areas, and there needs to be measures for communities to accept them, and for young people to positively engage in the community. While strong leadership of influential community leaders is necessary, it is also important to groom younger generation as such a cross-generational exchange is key in local revitalization.
MN: I have researched measures against depopulation and what I have come to realize is that there is no easy fix to the problem. Successful cases have emerged in recent years in Western Japan thanks to measures taken in Chugoku/Shikoku regions to counter the effects of depopulation in the 1970s, which are finally beginning to have a positive impact. In any event, successful communities are the ones that are proactively accepting people into their communities.
ILO: Issues in rural areas seem to have things in common with the problems of developing countries. The ILO provides development assistance through microfinance and cooperatives and has supported the development of cooperatives since 1920. The ILO is the only international organization that adopts international standards in this area; the Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193).
MN: Among my faculty, we are starting a program next year for our students to intern with cooperatives. While not many students think about cooperatives as potential jobs and the actual work with cooperatives can be hard such as shipping work, cooperatives, which develop businesses directly linking producers and consumers, have lots of potential.
ILO: There are cases of citizens’ wind power projects that, due to the lack of people with skills for main-tenance, might have to shut down. How can local human resource development be sustainable?
MN: Particularly in the case of wind power projects, major developers do not often transfer technical know-how on maintenance to local companies because maintenance is a profitable part of their business, even though the projects might be locally initiated. Ideally, skills courses and seminars set up in local universities can train local personnel, who in turn can be employed in local maintenance companies. In Kauai, Hawaii, a German company constructed a biomass power generation facility. They have invested in human resource development in a local education institution so that the local people can take care of the facilities, except for the most difficult aspects which can be performed by specialists from the headquarters in Germany. Collaboration with educational institutions is extremely important.
MN: In order to reinvigorate local economies, it is important to have a culture of sharing the benefits and technologies, rather than trying to monopolize them. Of course, locals will need to learn these skills on their own. They need first to work hard to gain skills and know-how for setting up solar panels, for example, then share the know-how. It is this kind of attitude that can lead to sustainability. There is actually an example of a company in Yamagata prefecture that makes technical information on maintenance publicly available. Today, internet allows technical information to be shared easily.
MN: I think there should be a support system for young workers in rural areas in renewable energy as well as other sectors. Even if young people that move to rural areas to start a business do not succeed, there can be support system for them to try again. Japan is a very rigid society. It is about time that the practice of bulk hiring of new graduates, which doesn’t allow options other than to work right away for a company after graduation, is ended. It is better to have various options. For example, a community college graduate can work for few years and save money, then go to college to study what he or she really wants to study, and develop a new career path. I would like our society to be a bit more tolerant and diverse, allowing different options such as starting up business in rural areas, working for a NPO or making it easier to change careers. I would also like the society to be a bit more tolerant of others.
MN: One element of work is to meet the immediate needs of myself and my family. Additionally, rewarding nature of work is important for me, and luckily my work is what I always wanted to research. My specialization, sociology, has an element to meet, talk to and listen to people. It is the work to see aspects of the world that I don’t yet know, and to broaden my perspective. It can be difficult at times, but it is rewarding, and I enjoy the work. However, not all jobs are enjoyable, and there are people that work only to make ends meet. Recently, it is becoming more difficult to have room to enjoy work as employment has become unstable. In such a situation, it is also important to choose work based on how rewarding it would be even though financially that might be difficult. For example, work in rural areas would mean less income than in big cities, but can also mean less working hours allowing you to lead a rich lifestyle with time to do other things that you really enjoy. I sometimes think about what I would do if I were to change jobs. I think about what I can do, and maybe I would not be able to do anything else. Either way, I would like to engage in work that is meaningful to society beyond myself and my family. In the U.S., people who achieve great success in business often engage in philanthropy. Currently in Japan, I feel that more people focus on themselves, but I hope there will be expansion in such philanthropic work.
Interview conducted by ILO Office for Japan in December 2017
Faculty of Sustainability Studies at Hosei University
Environmental issues including climate change are challenges that have major implications on the world of work as well as the survival of the human race. Clean, renewable energy is an important aspect of the future of work that can contribute to decarbonizing economic activities and making them sustainable. In this Future of Work interview, we asked Professor Makoto Nishikido from the Faculty of Sustainability Studies at Hosei University about renewable energy, local revitalization, and green jobs. His areas of specialization include environmental sociology, social movement theory, and regional sociology. He has authored various books on issues such as cultural approaches to social movement, risks and governance of renewable energy, and earthquake disasters and local revitalization.Renewable Energy, Local Revitalization and Green Jobs
ILO Office for Japan (ILO): In thinking about the future of work, the ILO focuses on pursuing growth and development, employment creation, and environmental sustainability at the same time. Japan has signed the Paris Agreement, which is the international framework for greenhouse gas reduction, and domestically has a medium-term goal to cut greenhouse gas by 26% by 2030 (compared to the 2013 levels). How important will it be to use environmentally friendly renewable energy such as solar, wind, geothermal and biomass, in place of fossil energy?
Professor Makoto Nishikido (MN): Renewable energy has already become the international standard. In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, an increase in the use of renewable energy is necessary as it is cheaper, safer and more territorially distributed compared to nuclear energy. Technology for renewable energy has greatly improved and the Japanese government, if willing, can have more ambitious targets. Renewable energy does not produce radioactive waste and because it is more territorially distributed, it also mitigates risk. Inequality between cities and rural areas has been an issue and energy development which is not led by the central government can lead to locally-led revitalization of sustainable local economies. There have been examples of recycling of solar panels, which can be managed without significant capital. Use of these solar panels can also be possible in developing countries.
ILO: What is needed for successful local renewable energy projects?
MN: Solar panels have become popular and the technology has greatly improved. In snowing regions such as Yamagata and Fukushima prefectures, which have been considered unsuitable for solar power, there are many enterprises which have renewable energy projects. There are also examples in which farmers are earning additional income from solar panels set up in their fields through solar sharing. Furthermore, following the Great East Japan Earthquake and Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, there have been locally-led energy enterprises in Tokyo, a city with mass energy consumption. For social business to be successful in local production and maintenance of renewable energy it is crucial that business is rooted in the community and that the managers are committed to the business for a long period of time. In addition, it requires the support of specialists with expertise in financial resource mobilization and a regulatory framework that doesn't just rely on government. An issue that needs to be given more consideration is that major developers quickly wind up businesses that become unprofitable.
MN: Institutional support is also important. For example, there is a case that a local government (city of Iida) declared by an ordinance that they will create renewable energy. Cooperating with and contributing to the community was one of the conditions for Hachijo-jima in selecting a geothermal power developer. Again, successful businesses will need to leverage the four themes of: community, financial institutions, institutional support, and regulatory framework.
ILO: The ILO produces the annual “World Employment and Social Outlook” report, and the 2018 report will be on “greening with jobs”. How can we expect businesses related to renewable energy to create green jobs?
MN: There is an example in which a consumer cooperative that developed a relationship with a local community through renewable energy business also developed food products using local ingredients, in addition to the creation of jobs related to setting up and maintaining solar panels. I am not especially familiar with the definition of green jobs, but in addition to the dimension of work that is profitable while reducing the negative impact on the environment, secondary effects surrounding green jobs are also an important element. For example, a company in Aomori prefecture conducts maintenance of wind power using the same skills as used in automobile maintenance. In Gifu prefecture, there is a case in which a small hydro power business using agricultural waterways built in the past attracted outside visitors, which led to the increase in young migrants from outside the community. One of the challenges of renewable energy projects in communities is that an initial success does not always lead to the development of a new generation that can continue the business, which can be a common challenge in local revitalization projects. Recently, there is an increasing trend of younger people moving to rural areas, and there needs to be measures for communities to accept them, and for young people to positively engage in the community. While strong leadership of influential community leaders is necessary, it is also important to groom younger generation as such a cross-generational exchange is key in local revitalization.
MN: I have researched measures against depopulation and what I have come to realize is that there is no easy fix to the problem. Successful cases have emerged in recent years in Western Japan thanks to measures taken in Chugoku/Shikoku regions to counter the effects of depopulation in the 1970s, which are finally beginning to have a positive impact. In any event, successful communities are the ones that are proactively accepting people into their communities.
ILO: Issues in rural areas seem to have things in common with the problems of developing countries. The ILO provides development assistance through microfinance and cooperatives and has supported the development of cooperatives since 1920. The ILO is the only international organization that adopts international standards in this area; the Promotion of Cooperatives Recommendation, 2002 (No. 193).
MN: Among my faculty, we are starting a program next year for our students to intern with cooperatives. While not many students think about cooperatives as potential jobs and the actual work with cooperatives can be hard such as shipping work, cooperatives, which develop businesses directly linking producers and consumers, have lots of potential.
Green Jobs and Human Resource Development
ILO: There are cases of citizens’ wind power projects that, due to the lack of people with skills for main-tenance, might have to shut down. How can local human resource development be sustainable?
MN: Particularly in the case of wind power projects, major developers do not often transfer technical know-how on maintenance to local companies because maintenance is a profitable part of their business, even though the projects might be locally initiated. Ideally, skills courses and seminars set up in local universities can train local personnel, who in turn can be employed in local maintenance companies. In Kauai, Hawaii, a German company constructed a biomass power generation facility. They have invested in human resource development in a local education institution so that the local people can take care of the facilities, except for the most difficult aspects which can be performed by specialists from the headquarters in Germany. Collaboration with educational institutions is extremely important.
MN: In order to reinvigorate local economies, it is important to have a culture of sharing the benefits and technologies, rather than trying to monopolize them. Of course, locals will need to learn these skills on their own. They need first to work hard to gain skills and know-how for setting up solar panels, for example, then share the know-how. It is this kind of attitude that can lead to sustainability. There is actually an example of a company in Yamagata prefecture that makes technical information on maintenance publicly available. Today, internet allows technical information to be shared easily.
A Society in which One Can Try Again
MN: I think there should be a support system for young workers in rural areas in renewable energy as well as other sectors. Even if young people that move to rural areas to start a business do not succeed, there can be support system for them to try again. Japan is a very rigid society. It is about time that the practice of bulk hiring of new graduates, which doesn’t allow options other than to work right away for a company after graduation, is ended. It is better to have various options. For example, a community college graduate can work for few years and save money, then go to college to study what he or she really wants to study, and develop a new career path. I would like our society to be a bit more tolerant and diverse, allowing different options such as starting up business in rural areas, working for a NPO or making it easier to change careers. I would also like the society to be a bit more tolerant of others.
What is “Work” to You?
MN: One element of work is to meet the immediate needs of myself and my family. Additionally, rewarding nature of work is important for me, and luckily my work is what I always wanted to research. My specialization, sociology, has an element to meet, talk to and listen to people. It is the work to see aspects of the world that I don’t yet know, and to broaden my perspective. It can be difficult at times, but it is rewarding, and I enjoy the work. However, not all jobs are enjoyable, and there are people that work only to make ends meet. Recently, it is becoming more difficult to have room to enjoy work as employment has become unstable. In such a situation, it is also important to choose work based on how rewarding it would be even though financially that might be difficult. For example, work in rural areas would mean less income than in big cities, but can also mean less working hours allowing you to lead a rich lifestyle with time to do other things that you really enjoy. I sometimes think about what I would do if I were to change jobs. I think about what I can do, and maybe I would not be able to do anything else. Either way, I would like to engage in work that is meaningful to society beyond myself and my family. In the U.S., people who achieve great success in business often engage in philanthropy. Currently in Japan, I feel that more people focus on themselves, but I hope there will be expansion in such philanthropic work.
Interview conducted by ILO Office for Japan in December 2017