Climate Change and Global Sustainability: A Holistic Approach
Note: The next to last chapter in this book discusses holism. The Japanese are stepping out in this regard with a series of books on sustainability science as a more holistic approach than has yet been out there. We do want to capture this leading edge, but I think we should avoid casting it as the umbrella concept for the conference because it is more properly still in development and thus constitutes a sub-theme. But seeing the Japanese Climate Change community so boldly talking about it, along with even spiritual values, is encouraging.
Climate Change and Global Sustainability: A Holistic Approach
-
Edited Akimasa Sumi, Nobuo Mimura and Toshihiko Masui
- PUBLICATION DATA:
- ISBN-10: 92-808-1181-9,
ISBN-13: 978-92-808-1181-0 - LANGUAGE:
- English
- PAGES:
- 325
- PUBLISHER:
- United Nations University Press
- PUBLISHED:
- April 2011
Climate change owing to global warming is a paramount concern for society in the twenty-first century, and it is not an issue that can be solved by individual academic or scientific disciplines working in isolation. Because climate change involves a wide range of interlinked problems, solutions must be pursued in an interdisciplinary manner. This book adopts just such a holistic approach in examining various aspects of global warming, and offers readers a comprehensive overview.
First, the mapping of knowledge about global warming is presented as a framework for addressing the issue. This is followed by a discussion of risk in relation to global warming and of the communication of risk between academia and society. Impacts, adaptation strategies, the institution of a low-carbon society and a number of other policy concerns associated with climate change are then reviewed. Because human behaviour is a critical factor in the move towards a low-carbon society, issues involving quality of life are also presented, with an emphasis on philosophy. Finally, the book considers the integration of three scenarios for society—a low-carbon society, a resource-circulating society, and a society in harmony with nature—and presents a comprehensive vision of the future.
Akimasa Sumi is Executive Director of the Transdisciplinary Initiative for Global Sustainability / Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science, The University of Tokyo, Japan. Nobuo Mimura is Director of the Institute for Global Change Adaptation Science and a Professor at the Center for Water Environment Studies, Ibaraki University, Japan. Toshihiko Masui is Chief of the Social and Environmental Systems Division, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan.
Contents Overview
- Introduction: From climate change to global sustainability, Akimasa Sumi and Nobuo Mimura Structuring knowledge of climate change, Ai Hiramatsu
- Communicating climate change risk, Seita Emori
- Climate change: Impacts and adaptation
Contributors include: Nobuo Mimura, Yasuaki Hijioka, So Kazama, Hiroyuki Kawashima, Yasuhiro Yamanaka, Masahiko Fujii, Hisamichi Nobuoka, Satoshi Murakami and Makoto Tamura - Designing climate policy
Contributors include: Tatsuyoshi Saijo, Hiroshi Hamanaka, Seiji Ikkatai, Shell - International BV (Nami Kitamura) and Shunji Matsuoka
- Transformation of social systems and lifestyles
Contributors include: Keisuke Hanaki, Tokuhisa Yoshida, Hideo Kawamoto - The building of a low-carbon, resource-circulating society, Toshihiko Masui
- Future vision for a sustainable society, Akimasa Sumi