Research focused on climate change and security for Japan

Impact ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 (6) ◽  
pp. 23-25
Author(s):  
Yasuko Kameyama

The economic knock-on effect of climate change is often underrepresented. When Japan's Ministry of the Environment first started to appreciate that climate change related events at home and abroad were going to threaten supply chains, the Japanese economy and foreign relations, they set out to assemble a team who could research and report on the problem. Dr Yasuko Kameyama, Director, Center for Social and Environmental Systems Research at the National Institute for Environmental Studies (NIES) is leading a project team that has developed a collaborative research programme addressing themes and sub-topics that consists compound risks of climate change.

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1163 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa Bedinger ◽  
Lindsay Beevers ◽  
Lila Collet ◽  
Annie Visser

Climate change is a product of the Anthropocene, and the human–nature system in which we live. Effective climate change adaptation requires that we acknowledge this complexity. Theoretical literature on sustainability transitions has highlighted this and called for deeper acknowledgment of systems complexity in our research practices. Are we heeding these calls for ‘systems’ research? We used hydrohazards (floods and droughts) as an example research area to explore this question. We first distilled existing challenges for complex human–nature systems into six central concepts: Uncertainty, multiple spatial scales, multiple time scales, multimethod approaches, human–nature dimensions, and interactions. We then performed a systematic assessment of 737 articles to examine patterns in what methods are used and how these cover the complexity concepts. In general, results showed that many papers do not reference any of the complexity concepts, and no existing approach addresses all six. We used the detailed results to guide advancement from theoretical calls for action to specific next steps. Future research priorities include the development of methods for consideration of multiple hazards; for the study of interactions, particularly in linking the short- to medium-term time scales; to reduce data-intensivity; and to better integrate bottom–up and top–down approaches in a way that connects local context with higher-level decision-making. Overall this paper serves to build a shared conceptualisation of human–nature system complexity, map current practice, and navigate a complexity-smart trajectory for future research.


2015 ◽  
Vol 72 (9) ◽  
pp. 2609-2617 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Gorman ◽  
Cameron Dixon

Abstract We present the outcomes of a collaborative research programme tasked with reducing bycatch, and thus discards in a temperate Australian prawn trawl fishery. Sea trials in the Gulf of St Vincent, South Australia, assessed the performance of a modified trawlnet that incorporated a rigid polyethylene grid and a T90-mesh codend. Compared with conventional designs, the modified net yielded marked reductions in bycatch (cumulatively >81% by weight), with pronounced decreases in sponge (92%), elasmobranchs (80%), teleost fish (71%), molluscs (61%), and crustaceans (78%). Using commercial logbook data, we estimate that the use of modified nets could reduce discards by ∼240 tons per year. This outcome was achieved with moderate declines in the catch rate (kg h−1) of the target species, Western King Prawn (mean ∼15%), of which almost all were small adults of low commercial value. Adoption of the modified net by industry was realized in March 2012, because it met environmental objectives (i.e. reducing bycatch and improving public perceptions of sustainability), reduced prawn damage, demonstrated commensurate financial returns, and engaged stakeholders throughout the development process. Overall, the project provides a useful example of bycatch research with demonstrable outcomes of improving the ecological and economic sustainability of prawn harvests.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 1100-1107
Author(s):  
Nguyen Van Phu

Climate change is one of the greatest threats to human beings, and agriculture is one of the fields that is most negatively affected by climate change. Farmers around the world and global food supply chains are impacted by the more extreme weather phenomena and increased damage of diseases and pests caused by climate change. Today, almost all agricultural enterprises and farms consider climate change a serious long-term risk for their production. Agricultural land systems can produce significant greenhouse gases (GHGs) by the conversion of forests to crop- and animal lands, and also through the weak management of crops and livestock. Around the world, cultivation and cattle production accounts for 25% of global GHG emissions (Javeline, ‎2014). However, under suitable conditions, agriculture can create environmental conditions that can help minimize pollution and the negative effects of climate change including carbon absorption by green plants in forests, and fields for watershed protection and biodiversity conservation. Sustainable agriculture helps farmers to adapt, maintain, and improve productivity without applying harmful techniques. In turn, this allows farms to manage and mitigate climate-related risks in their supply chains. The Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN) has found new ways to incorporate smart climate cultivation methods into all farming practices to help farms and enterprises carry out agriculture sustainably.


2014 ◽  
Vol 38 (5) ◽  
pp. 46
Author(s):  
Daniel Dunkley

In this interview Professor Green explains the work of CRELLA (the Centre for Research in English Language Learning and Assessment at the University of Bedfordshire), and its role in the improvement of language testing. The institute contributes to this effort in many ways. For example, in the field of language education they are partners in English Profile (EP: www.englishprofile.org), a collaborative research programme directed towards a graded guide to learner language at different CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) levels, based on the 50 million word Cambridge Learner Corpus. Among other things, the EP has helped to inform the development of the CEFR-J in Japan. In this interview, Professor Green also outlines his own work, especially in the areas of washback and assessment literacy.


Author(s):  
Angeliki Kossyva

The wealth of ancient Hermione is no longer visible: continuous habitation from c. 3000 BC down to the present day has obliterated most traces. Important information on the social organization and economy of Hermione can however be drawn from the tombs that have been unearthed. A large cemetery was discovered in the early 20th century just outside the city gate, stretching along the road leading to ancient Mases and in continuous use for a period of 1,500 years. It covers an area of 1.5 km east–west along the modern Hermione–Kranidi rural road, taking in the terrain to either side to a width of 160 m and extending south to Pron Hill and north to a patch of level ground some 60 m wide. In this article we focus on cemetery finds unearthed in the area south of the present-day Gymnasium-Lykeion school of Hermione, as they typically reflect the urban organization and economic development of the ancient city. These two themes comprise some of the goals pursued in the collaborative research programme between the Ephorate of Antiquities of the Argolid and the Swedish Institute at Athens.


Author(s):  
Faridedin Cheraghi

Everyone involved in geospatial information systems has heard of Environmental Systems Research Institute (Esri)company. Most people have tried ArcGIS software at least for one time. Esri has been the pioneer in this industry for a long time; it also defines the future of geospatial trends. In this chapter, the author adopts a neutral position to discuss the relation of Esri and open-source community. They cover almost every aspect where Esri and open source co-occur. Even the latest achievement of Esri, which is R-bridge, is discussed here. Going into the details of everything is not the goal of the chapter; however, a minimum description is provided for each section. Proper references are given to the reader for further study.


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