Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI) Planetary Health Project team released the ‘Deco-Katsu Declaration’ and participation in the ‘Deco-Katsu’ Supporters.

‘Deco-Katsu‘ is the shorthand for the ‘National Movement for New and Prosperous Lifestyles toward Decarbonization,’ a campaign launched in October 2020 under the umbrella of Japan’s Ministry of the Environment. The initiative is designed to significantly promote lifestyle and behavioral shifts in individuals and consumers with the goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 and specific reduction milestones by 2030.

The catchy term “Deco-Katsu” was coined from 8,200 public submissions and blends the word ‘De‘ from Decarbonization, and ‘Eco‘ for Environmentally-friendly, along with the Japanese term for activity and lifestyle, ‘Katsu.’

The ‘Deco-Katsu’ initiative covers the following four areas;

1. Promoting diverse and comfortable work-life styles, including teleworking, migrating to rural areas, workcations, and harnessing digital technologies
2. Offering and suggesting products and services that foster decarbonized lifestyles
3. Spurring behavioral change via incentives and effective information sharing, including consumer input
4. Supporting locally unique lifestyles adapted to the climate and cultural conditions

In addition, the ‘Deco-Katsu’ Supporters (Public-Private Partnership Council) is a platform launched simultaneously with ‘Deco-Katsu’ for the purpose of effective collaboration and opinion sharing among the national government, local governments, companies, organizations, and individuals regarding decarbonization measures in order to realize prosperous lifestyles that lead to decarbonization.

As of October 4, 474 organizations have declared Deco-Katsu, and a list of organizations that have declared Deco-Katsu can be found here (*only available in Japanese). For more details on the Deco-Katsu Declaration and and Deco-Katsu Supporters how to participate, click here.

Since launching its Planetary Health Project in 2022, HGPI has been addressing current challenges and proposing necessary actions in tandem with various stakeholders, adopting a planetary health lens that views planetary conditions and human health as interdependent.

From a healthcare standpoint, HGPI aims to advance planetary health domestically by promoting Deco-Katsu campaign to both the general public and the healthcare sector. Our activities include:

• Advocating for a healthcare system that is low-carbon, sustainable, and resilient to climate change, thus empowering individuals to maintain good health
• Proactively sharing successful decarbonization practices within the healthcare sector on both a national and international level
• Implementing sustainable work practices within our organization on a daily basis