The complexity of climate change mechanisms – aspects to be considered in abatement strategy planning
The complexity of climate change mechanisms] Greenhouse gas emissions are of major importance today and the climate issue is expected to remain a question of utmost significance during coming decades and centuries. Climate models indicate how emissions interfere with climate processes and which temperature rise different emission scenarios may lead to. Through a literature survey, it has been our intention to single out some of the findings on climate change mechanisms , such as the interaction between emissions of greenhouse gases and global radiative forcing, on how the carbon and nitrogen cycles interfere with concentrations in the atmosphere and in what ways cost-effective abatement measures of greenhouse gases could be made. The focus in this respect has been on non-carbon dioxide greenhouse gases. The present basis for action is comprehensive and robust to its order of magnitude, even if there are large uncertainties involved in the overall understanding of the processes. In the strategies elaborated by different actors these large uncertainties in sources and sinks of greenhouse gases, the interconnections with the climate and available climate models, have to be considered in research projects and future action plans.
Download The complexity of climate change mechanisms
Edited by Wolfgang Wimmer, Lee Kun Mo and John Polak.
Two significant trends are shaping the environmental agenda: Green procurement – more and more businesses, governments and even consumers are seeking ecoproducts; and, new product related guidelines, directives and regulations have already been developed. How should business respond? There are tools and approaches available. (more…)
Edited by: Akimasa Sumi, Kensuke Fukushi, R. Honda and K.M. Hasan
The need to put into perspective the ever-mounting body of new information, beyond the frames of disciplines, on environmental security of food and water issues in Asia provided the impetus for the development of this book. It combines presentations from symposia on food and water sustainability held recently in Macau, China. (more…)
27 June -2 July 2010, Yokohama, Japan
Link to RE2010
Dr. David Müller, ETH Science City
The Renewable Energy 2010 conference dedicated one of its workshops to what actions universities are taking develop their campuses sustainably. The workshop was organised by the AGS-affiliated Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science (IR3S) network of Japanese universities. Four sustainable campus projects from leading universities worldwide were presented, including the ETH and The University of Tokyo. (more…)
AGS newsletter 2010:2 is now available online.
The highlight in this newsletter is a report from AGS Annual Meeting 2010 held in Tokyo: Global Change and Sustainability – pathways to the Sustainable Society in 2010.
Download AGS_Newsletter_2010:2 (pdf)
Workshop and plenary at the AGS Annual Meeting 2010
18 March 2010, The University of Tokyo, Japan
How can societies progress towards sustainability under rapid demographic change? This was a key issue at the AGS Annual Meeting 2010. The demographic structure of most developed countries is changing dramatically as a result of people living longer but having fewer children. At the same time, these societies must make drastic changes in the use of energy and natural resources to move towards environmental sustainability. (more…)
23 April 2010, Cambridge, USA
Sustainability@MIT – MIT’s student group for sustainability – held their 2nd annual MIT Sustainability Summit on 23 April at Microsoft’s New England Research and Development Center. There were over 200 students and sustainability professionals in attendance. The event was entirely student run and organized and supported through sponsorship contributions from The Alliance for Global Sustainability. (more…)
by Hiroshi Komiyama and Steven Kraines, The University of Tokyo
Vision 2030: roadmap for a sustainable earth
From the book’s introduction:
“Can we humans continue to live and work as we have until now within the resource limits of the earth? And can we sustain the earth’s bountiful resources, including a clean and healthy environment, for generations to come? The goal of this book is to propose a concrete vision of a road to a sustainable future for humanity and the earth. (more…)
AGS Annual Meeting, 17 March 2010, The University of Tokyo, Japan
For some, the Climate Summit in December 2009 was a success for achieving agreement on the Copenhagen Accord; for others it was a complete failure to agree on any basis for post-Kyoto negotiations. The end of the summit left deep uncertainty as to what the basis for international negotiations towards COP-16 was. At the AGS Annual Meeting, we had a panel discussion to evaluate the COP-15 and future options for action on climate change, chaired by Akimasa Sumi, IPCC AR4 Lead-author and professor of the University of Tokyo. The panel of climate change policy researchers gave perspectives from Japan, the US, Switzerland and the European Union, and China – together responsible for 60% of global carbon emissions. (more…)
