The warming of planet Earth is a grave problem not only for Japan but for the whole world. If greenhouse gases are not steadily reduced, conditions will only more rapidly deteriorate. In light of this, we should push for a carbon-free energy strategy that has less impact on the environment. While protecting the environment through effective carbon-free practices, significant improvement in our technologies is well within our capabilities.

The calcium carbonate skeletons of corals, which live for hundreds of years, bear traces of their growth similar to the rings of trees. Chemical analyses of these skeletal markings can tell us the temperature and salinity of the water at specific times. I would like to report here on the coral sampling fieldwork carried out in tropical Palau as well as the laboratory where these silent corals have finally begun to tell the story of the ocean.

Aogashima is an isolated island in the distant seas 67 kilometers south of Hachijojima. Although the island has assumed a new importance due to its geographical role in determining Japan's EEZ, in the past it was often viewed as no more than a burden on the state and woefully neglected. Throughout those times however the islanders persevered and it is due to them that Aogashima is what it is today. We should not forget the needs of this small island.