ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Online ISSN : 1884-5029
Print ISSN : 0915-0048
ISSN-L : 0915-0048
Volume 21, Issue 3
Displaying 1-10 of 10 articles from this issue
  • Yasuko KAMEYAMA, Norichika KANIE
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 175-185
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Participation of the developing countries in climate change mitigation efforts beyond 2012 is indispensable to avoid dangerous interference of climate change, but developing countries are reluctant to negotiate the issue. For Asian countries, one of the reasons for their unwillingness is lack of capacity to negotiate . Thus, it is important to build policymaking capacity in those countries to form negotiating positions that can maximize positive effects of climate policy. For this purpose, this study conducted a survey on domestic institutions and debates over future framework in six Asian countries, and arrived at three major conclusions. 1) Domestic debates over future framework have begun only in economically relatively-developed countries . Others have not yet started the debate at all, and rather concentrated on implementation of the current regime . 2) With regard to the implementation, all countries except for one have established interagency coordination body on climate change within the government. Most of them invited participation from NGOs and researchers in addition to government civil servants. 3) Positions predicted for each country varied, which could lead to a conclusion that diffusedgovernance may be suitable for meeting their needs, although multilateral treaty could be at the core of the diffused system.
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  • Tadashi SAKUMA
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 187-196
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This article consists of the following two chapters : the first, the development of the research on the history of thought on the environment ; the second, research subjects of the history of Japanese thought on the environment. In the first chapter, I introduce main Euro-American works on the history of thought on the environment starting in the nineteen-sixties and works on the history of Japanese thought on the environment starting in the nineteen-nineties. I point out their significance in the history of research. In the second chapter, I identify the following major issues in the history of Japanese thought on the environment: (1) changes in notions of the environment and views of nature up to the sixteenth century; (2) Tokugawa environmental thought; (3) environmental thought from Meiji period to the middle of the twentieth century, centered on the ideas of Shozo TANAKA and Kumagusu MINAKATA. Finally I indicate the necessity of linking the research of the history of thought on the environment to the research of environmental philosophy.
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  • -Institutional, Organizational, Political Aspect of Environmental Education at Graduate Level -
    Hiromi UCHIYAMA
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 207-213
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This paper aims to discuss the mechanism of establishing Environment-related graduate schools and majors, which were established secondly or thirdly in each university and whose educational organizations are separated from the research organizations. Using the frameworks of "life cycle theory of scientific research" and "higher education policy", this paper attempted a bird's eye-view analysis of establishing mechanism of these graduate schools and majors, and analyzed a case study of them . As a result, the higher education policy as well as the efforts of establishment of Environmental Science turns out to be one of the most important factors to the establishment mechanism of Environment-related graduate schools and majors. Also, the mechanism regulated the structure of disciplines in each Environment-related graduate schools and majors.
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  • Masamu ANIYA
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 215-221
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    The Master' s program in Environmental Sciences at the University of Tsukuba was founded in 1977, along with Hokkaido University, the first such program among the national universities in Japan. The foundation and education philosophies of the Tsukuba were very unique in that time. For example, despite a large number of student body (60-102 a year), the program was not divided into subprograms in order to give students the opportunity in which to acquire the wide background in environmental sciences, regardless of their undergraduate majors. We have attracted students from all over Japan with a wide variety of majors such as physical sciences, social sciences, engineering and even humanities. Although we have repeatedly asked for the establishment of a doctoral program, it was never granted. During the late 1990s, the University of Tsukuba reorganized the existing 5-year doctoral programs, thereby establishing Graduate School of Life and Environmental Sciences. Given this situation, in order to expand and meet with needs of today's society' s, the ?eMaster' s program in Environmental Sciences' was restructured into a new master' s program and a doctoral program, which were in April 2007 incorporated into the Graduate School of Environmental Sciences. Upon this restructuring, the ?eMaster' s program in Environmental Sciences' was abolished in March 2008, after 31-years of unique environmental education . One of the courses that supported the unique education is Field Studies and one of such courses was described in detail and its educational effects were discussed .
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  • Yasuaki SINYA
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 223-230
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: February 09, 2012
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Kyushu University Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies was founded in 1998. It was a part of Faculty of Education, Faculty of Literature, Section of Architecture in Faculty of Engineering, and Institute of Health Science (IHS). The concept of this faculty was derived from our reform plan, which was made for our new campus. It took the initiative in graduate schools in Japan, for it was consisted of both liberal arts and science. Kyushu University Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies is consisted of following departments, which major in the basics of the Human-Environment Studies: -Department of Behavioral and Health Science (psychology, health science) -Department of Social and Human Development(pedagogy, sociology) -Department of Architecture (architectural planning and history, environment design and control in architecture, and architectural structures and materials) on the surrounding) Moreover, following departments are set as interdisciplinary areas: -Department of Urban Design, Planning and Disaster Management (urban design, disaster management) -Department of Clinical Psychology and Community Studies (clinical psychology, community studies). Because Gakufu-Kenkyuin System (Graduate school-Faculty System) had been adopted, Department of Education transformed into Graduate School of Human-Environment Studies. Therefore, the idea of courses' collaboration no longer exists. Moreover, it allowed us to innovate the system of our institution "Human-Environment Colloquium" is one of our original courses as an interdisciplinary graduate school. Also, we have an award and other supports to encourage students in interdisciplinary research. On the other hand, as some are pointing out, it is taking a long time to actually be interdisciplinary. Our new steps to the interdisciplinary are as follows: 1. Set up an International Social Development course by inviting a professor from Faculty of Languages. 2. Set up a Continuation Urban Construction System Program (Master/Doctor), which represents the result of COE in the 21st centuryWe are also considering to reorganize another two majors..
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  • Masao MINAGAWA
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 231-234
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This paper looks back on the history of the Graduate School of Environmental Science at Hokkaido University, which was established in a restructuring three years ago, and reports on its characteristics and problems. I explain the characteristics of the educational system of the Division of Environmental Science Development, which was established as a special course in the Graduate School of Environmental Science to nurture human resources capable of responding to global environmental problems. Finally, I report on the problems that we face as an environment related graduate school, including especially the upbringing of researchers who conduct fieldwork research, and the issues and difficulties that arise in that education, as well as touching on the conditions that will be required for environmental science education from now on.
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  • Shunsuke MANAGI, Mlchiyuki YAGI
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 235-238
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Object of this study is to understand how corporate social responsibility is related to firm' intangible asset. This study applies the ratings by Sustainable Management Rating Institutes and identifies the correlation to Tobin's q. We find positive correlation with compliance of the law, firm' culture, rules of organizations, transportation, and sustainable management.
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  • Shinji KANEKO, Hidemichi FUJII
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 239-244
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This study analyzes the linear and quadratic relationships between environmental efficiency and business performance for 77 Japanese manufacturing firms during the period from 2001 to 2003. We employ CO2 emission per sale as environmental efficiency indicator and return on asset (ROA) as economic performance indicator. In order to minimize the heterogeneity of the business characteristics that affects environmental performance, we divided the sample companies into three groups, daily necessities industry, basic material industry, and processing and assembly industry. There is no strong linear relationship between environmental efficiency and business performance in the daily necessities industry. However there is a significant positive and liner relationship between environmental efficiency and economic performance in the basic material industry, while we can find the inverted Kuznets curve in the processing and assembly industry.
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  • Hiromitsu KAWAHARA
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 245-251
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This study proposes environmental performance indicators using PRTR data and weighting coefficient for the Directional Distance Function (DDF) or the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) and Inverted DEA. Specifically I evaluate equivalent emissions using PRTR data and weighting coefficient that be regulated under the Kanagawa prefectural ordinance. As a result, I obtained two different kinds of equivalent emission as input data for DDF or DEA. In addition, some analytical results show that population data reflect the location of business establishment.
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  • Tatsuo KIMBARA, Hidemichi FUJII
    2008 Volume 21 Issue 3 Pages 253-259
    Published: May 30, 2008
    Released on J-STAGE: June 28, 2010
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This article analyses the relationship among the environmental behavior, external factors, and economic/environmental performance. Most of the previous researches id not explain causal relationship between economic performance and environmental performance. In this paper, we analyzed the relationship in Japanese manufacturing firms. The findings of analysis indicate that external factors are not necessarily effective to stimulate positive action by firm. Rather, it shows that corporate strategy stimulates organizational practices for environment and leads to better environmental performance.
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