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[The 5th Seminar](Initiative 1 Seminar)


Date:June 23, 2008 (Mon.) 16:00-18:00PM
Venue: E207, 2nd floor of East Building, CSEAS

Presentation:
1.Takahiro Sato (G-COE Researcher)
2.Taizo Wada (G-COE Researcher)

Commentator:
Mamoru Kanzaki (Associate　Professor, Faculty Gruduate School of Agriculture)
Akio Tanabe (Associate　Professor, Institute for Research in Humanities)



【Record of Activity】

The Geosphere was defined as the part of the earth’s crustal construction made up of rocks and regolith, and the Biosphere as the surface part of the earth, produced through the interaction of biological lifeforms and their surrounding environment. A proposal was made to use the primary energy supplies and primary biomass supplies (Net Primary Production; NPP) of each country as evaluation indices. As an evaluation index for a narrowly-defined Humanosphere, while introducing Disability-adjusted life expectancy (DALE), two models were investigated; one using the GDP index and Education index from a Human Development Index (HDI) and the other excluding the GDP index. Based on the points presented above, the three patterns mentioned below, which combine indices for these three spheres, were established, and a regional sustainability index for each country was indicated in the form of a thematic map. At the same time, questions regarding the validity of techniques in which a human-related index and an environmental-related index are summed together and averaged, and regarding the issue of how in the future to incorporate qualitative research results, were also raised, and a plan to analyze trends over the past 20-30 years was announced.


Pattern

1

2

3

Humanosphere

DALE
Education index
GDP index

DALE
Education index

DALE
Education index

Biosphere

NPP/population

NPP/population

NPP/population

Geosphere

Population/Energy

Population/Energy

GDP/Energy

 

 

Regional Sustainability Index 3

 With respect to the points above, Prof.Kanzaki Mamoru pointed out, based on reviews regarding sustainability in ecology, that the three bases for evaluating sustainability with respect to the environment, namely input, output and standing crop, were not expressed in the indices presented, and also challenged the idea of unifying three indices with differing qualities. Prof. Tanabe Akio pointed out that the concept of “Humanosphere-Sustainable Development” was not clearly expressed in the indices that were presented, and remarked on the possibility of incorporating elements such as renewable energy and the relation between humans and nature into an index. He also pointed out the potential, as a result of the use of the DALE index, to underestimate the value of people who live with disabilities, and expressed misgivings concerning the introduction of views from areas such as eugenics. A variety of opinions were received from other participants in line with the theme of the kickoff meeting for this research seminar. Issues raised included the pro-active use of other indices, the appropriateness of the name “regional sustainability index,” and the need for a comprehensive index incorporating multiple factors and the inconsistency of this need with the desire for simplicity of the index itself. In the future, it would seem that there is a necessity to, while introducing an improved index building on these arguments, at the same time come to a mutual understanding at a deeper level, through discussions that involve the project as a whole, regarding the significance of “sustainable humanosphere development.”

(Takahiro Sato and Taizo Wada)

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