ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE
Online ISSN : 1884-5029
Print ISSN : 0915-0048
ISSN-L : 0915-0048
Volume 27, Issue 5
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
Articles
  • -by Linking Socioeconomic Factors with Material Flow-
    Chen LIU, Yoshitsugu HAYASHI, Tetsuzo YASUNARI
    2014 Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 265-276
    Published: September 30, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: October 06, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To diagnose and prevent environmental problems that threaten urban sustainability, the impact of changes in lifestyle (human diet, waste disposal and transportation) and production style (agriculture, industry and service industry) with the rapid urbanization, on regional nitrogen (N) balance and the water environment was quantitatively evaluated. Shanghai was chosen as a case study to investigate the temporal changes in N flow during 1980-2008 by a multidisciplinary approach (a regional nitrogen mass balance model, a field survey, input-output analysis and statistical analysis). The main results can be summarized as follows: (1) The total input of anthropogenic reactive nitrogen (i.e., chemical fertilizer, atmospheric deposition, biological nitrogen fixation, and imported food/feed) has increased from 3.28×105t-N in 1980, to 3.48×105t-N in 1990,and to 3.55×105t-N in 2000, while it decreased to 3.23×105t-N in 2008. (2) The nitrogen balance changed structurally. The nitrogen input by atmospheric deposition and imported food/feed increased rapidly, thus the main source of the local nitrogen load shifted to nitrogen deposited from the atmospheric and nitrogen imported food/feed from the previous main source of nitrogen load, chemical fertilizer. (3) Nitrogen in wastewater from industries reached the peak in the late 90's and finally fell into place since 2000. (4) Nitrogen runoff from farmland has decreased, while that from urban runoff increased. (5) The production of food such as meat and fish surpassed consumption, and became an export sector in 1980s. However, it was necessary to import food and feed from other regions since 1990s, which means that the nitrogen consumed in Shanghai has come to be more dependent on other regions. Overall, although the total potential nitrogen load in Shanghai is decreasing since 2000 and water pollution problems seems to have been improved, the problem is shifted and the areas affected expanded to the surrounding areas through water and air cycling and the food/feed chain. Further effective measurements are necessary.
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  • Junzo TACHIBANA, Atsushi SHU, Hirotsugu KAMAHARA, Naohiro GOTO
    2014 Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 277-288
    Published: September 30, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: October 06, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Porcelain recycling rate in Japan is low today because of the limited amounts and various kinds of recyclable porcelain. Companies in some porcelain producing districts have tried to develop processes that use recycle crushed porcelain. However, assessment of the environmental and economic aspects of recycling porcelain is inadequate. The objectives of this study were to assess the environmental load and production efficiency of the production system for the “Re-Seto” porcelain recycling facility, which is located in Seto city, Aichi prefecture. The environmental load was evaluated by performing a life cycle analysis (LCA), and production efficiency was evaluated by conducting a material flow cost accounting (MFCA). The results of an integrated MFCA-LCA evaluation showed that, for soil-made processes, the MFCA value decreased by 20% and the LIME value decreased by 9.2%. For the porcelain production process, the MFCA value decreased by 1.0% and the LIME value decreased by 8.6%. It therefore follows that a porcelain recycling and production system can be effective in terms of production efficiency and environmental load reduction.
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Technical note
  • Yasuaki HIJIOKA, Kazuhide KUSHIDA, Kazutaka OKA
    2014 Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 289-301
    Published: September 30, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: October 06, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    This study investigated how to deliver the scientific knowledge of climate change impact assessment contributing adaptation policies by utilizing Web based system when the knowledge is provided to the policymakers who are in charge of adaptation measures. Firstly, a survey for information gathering was conducted to search available methods for delivering research outcomes and reference information about Web based system helpful for our research objectives. The survey revealed that four types of Web based system have been mainly disseminated in Japan. National government, private companies, and nongovernmental organizations have adopted commercial Web based system and local governments have adopted the system provided by the application service provider. Finally, we proposed how to publish research outcomes utilizing Web based system considering the results of our survey.
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Symposium Papers
  • Yuko KANAMORI, Tomohiro TASAKI
    2014 Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 302-312
    Published: September 30, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: October 06, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    To realize sustainable society, sustainable lifestyle changes are highly expected. But in real society, it will be difficult that sustainable lifestyle will be led to only because it is important to avoid environment issues, even if there will be many environmental-oriented people in future. When we discuss lifestyle change impact in various environmental scenarios, it is important to understand not only impacts on lifestyle change caused by social and economic changes but also which lifestyles will be mains. In general, lifestyle changes are characterized by individual attribute and household attribute. The object of this paper is to reveal major lifestyle changes in 2030 using major household type and idea generation method. As results, (1) four risks as lifestyle change factor and various principles and intentions in 2030 were identified based on brainstorming; (2) major household types were extracted from household composition in 2010 and 2030; and (3) eight downside lifestyle changes and seven upside lifestyle changes in 2030 were extracted using a constrained idea generation method with a matrix of major household types and four risks and a matrix of principles and intentions, respectively.
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  • -Strategy of Climate Change Adaptation-
    Nobuo SHIRAI, Mitsuru TANAKA, Makoto TAMURA, Kazuya YASUHARA, Hideo HA ...
    2014 Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 313-323
    Published: September 30, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: October 06, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    Building an adaptation strategy to put forward climate change adaptation in local governments is an important task. This study specifically describes examination of the following three points at issue: (1) relations between mitigation and adaptation; (2) crosscutting policy in the impact fields of climate change; and (3) necessity and concreteness of additional adaptation. Construction and verification of the theoretical framework were conducted for each point at issue.
    In comparison with messages related to adaptation policies publicized by the Ministry of Environment, this study emphasizes the following significant points: (1) mitigation and adaptation are defined as links to factors of vulnerability (exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity); (2) three levels of climate change adaptation (protect, minimization of impacts, and transformation), improved sensitivity, and adaptive management for longterm impacts are proposed to emphasize the additional adaptation; (3) not only technology and methods but also adaptation measures are exemplified.
    As further works, the precision of adaptation measures for feasibility should be improved for local governments. Additionally, increased recognition and understanding of adaptation strategy of climate change adaptation from local governments are necessary, including the relations between mitigation and adaptation, and the necessity for incremental adaptation.
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  • Nobuo SHIRAI, Kenshi BABA
    2014 Volume 27 Issue 5 Pages 324-334
    Published: September 30, 2014
    Released on J-STAGE: October 06, 2015
    JOURNAL FREE ACCESS
    A interview survey to four local governments which was advanced in climate change adaptation was conducted. As the result of the analysis of the promotion and barrier factors on the implementation of climate change adaptation, it was emerged that reference factors (vertical, horizontal) and characteristic factors (innovation, carrier) was applied to climate change adaptation.
    And the unique issues on the implementation of climate change adaptation was exsisted. The unique issues are as follows; (1) the vertical reference factors are not act upon the implementation for the lack of the national strategy and legal system, (2) the carrier characteristic factors are important as the promotion factors, (3) the innovation characteristic factors are important as the barriers factors.
    To make the smart implementation of climate change adaptation in local government, it is necessary that the role of local government is proposed in the national strategy and legal system. And the method of planning based on the uncertain prediction, and the local adaptation center which coordinate the science and policy at site are needed.
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