Title: Building Decarbonized Society: An XaaS Roadmapping Approach

Authors: Boonswasd, Porruthai; Belal, H M; Shirahada, Kunio

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脱炭素への道を拓く「未来思考」――サービス化がもたらす社会変革

　世界がカーボンニュートラルを目指す中で，単なる技術革新だけでは限界が見え始めている．「未来を読む力」と「サービス化」を組み合わせた新たなアプローチが，この壁を打ち破る鍵となりそうだ．

　「Management of Environmental Quality」誌に掲載された最新研究は，「Everything-as-a-Service（XaaS）」と「フューチャーズ・リテラシー（未来リテラシー）」を統合した「XaaSロードマッピング手法」を提案した．これは，未来を多様な視点で描き出し，脱炭素に向けた新たなサービス型ビジネスを設計するものである．
　中でも興味深いのは，「カーボンクレジット取引のサービス化」というアイデアだ．従来の排出権市場を，より柔軟で身近なサービスに変え，企業も個人も排出削減に主体的に参加できる社会を目指す．この取り組みは，環境意識の向上だけでなく，新たな産業や雇用の創出にもつながる可能性を秘めている．
　本研究は，未来を漠然と予測するのではなく，多様な専門家による共創を通じて，具体的な「未来の地図」を描いた点に特徴がある．変化が激しい時代において，組織や社会が持続可能な未来を自ら創り出すための羅針盤となるだろう．
　未来は，待つものではない．想像し，計画し，行動してこそ，初めて手に入る．この研究は，そんな力強いメッセージを私たちに投げかけている．

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Opening New Paths to Decarbonization: How Future Literacy and Service Transformation Will Change Society

As the world races toward carbon neutrality, it is becoming increasingly clear that technological innovation alone is not enough. A new approach, combining "future literacy" and "Everything-as-a-Service (XaaS)" models, promises to break through this barrier.

A recent study published in Management of Environmental Quality introduces the "XaaS Roadmapping Framework," an innovative methodology that integrates service-oriented strategies with the cognitive skill of anticipating future changes. Rather than merely forecasting the future, this approach encourages diverse stakeholders to co-create concrete visions of a decarbonized society and develop actionable business models based on those visions.

Of particular interest is the concept of "Carbon Credit Trading-as-a-Service." Unlike conventional carbon markets, this model envisions carbon credits as flexible, accessible services for both corporations and individual consumers. By empowering more actors to participate actively in emissions reduction, the model not only boosts environmental awareness but also holds potential to generate new industries and employment opportunities.

A key strength of this research lies in its departure from passive scenario-building toward active knowledge co-creation. Through collaborative workshops, experts from different sectors collectively crafted "future maps" that bridge technological trends, market needs, and regulatory developments. In an era of rapid and unpredictable change, such foresight-driven frameworks offer organizations and societies a strategic compass toward sustainability.

The message is clear: The future is not something to wait for, but something to be imagined, designed, and realized through deliberate action. This study reminds us that building a decarbonized world is not merely a technological challenge, but a profound social innovation project. It calls on businesses, governments, and individuals alike to become architects of their own future.

2025.04