The surprise success of a Japanese book proposing degrowth to deal with environmental issues echoes the sentiments of young people eager to break with a status quo of political and economic pessimism. How can brands respond to the needs of this growing cohort and its feelings about the future?
Hikaru Komatsu is an associate professor at National Taiwan University. After spending more than 15 years in the field of environmental science, he realised the importance of culture for achieving sustainability. He’s currently examining how culture is related to sustainability and how culture can be rearticulated for sustainability through education.
Roger Ong is the editor-in-chief of Zenbird Media, an online magazine that is focused on areas of circular economy, women’s wellness, gender issues, and climate change in Japan.
Gouri Sharma is an internationally renowned independent journalist from London living in Berlin writing for international media sites including Al Jazeera English and Deutsche Welle. Amid a career spanning nearly two decades, including five years on the production desk for Al Jazeera's flagship media critique show The Listening Post, Gouri now writes on issues such as race, culture, migration, history, and sexual health and wellness. With each report, she aims to draw out the individual story amid the wider political or historical context; centring the human story is a priority, in particular amplifying the voices of those from marginalised communities whose stories are not as visible.