Publications Search

This pamphlet introduces the latest activities of Kitakyushu Urban Centre.

Ecological conservation has become a core issue of global concern, and ecosystem services (ES) are fundamental to achieving sustainable development. However, integrated assessments of ES dynamics, spatial heterogeneity, and future land use scenarios in Mongolia remain insufficient. This study utilized Land Use and Land Cover (LULC) data from 2000...

This paper examines the governance of agrivoltaics (AV) in the context of Japan’s rapid rural depopulation and farmland abandonment. While AV is traditionally framed as a solution to land-use competition, this study argues that in shrinking regions, the primary challenge is not land scarcity but a shortage of human capacity to manage...

In October 2025, an extraordinary session of the IMO Marine Environment Protection Committee was held. Negotiations took place on a draft amendment to the Convention aimed at achieving the international target of ‘GHG emissions from international shipping by around 2050’. Japan has been co-sponsoring the proposal alongside Europe and leading the...

Methane is a potent, short-lived climate pollutant responsible for nearly 0.5°C of global temperature rise. Though it remains in the atmosphere for about 12 years, its climate impact is 86 times stronger than carbon dioxide over 20 years, making methane mitigation one of the most effective strategies for tackling climate change. The waste sector...

Quantitative monitoring of lake water storage in arid regions is essential for effective management of regional water resources, and can also elucidate the impacts of ecological degradation on lake water storage. This study investigates changes in water storage in Ebinur Lake, Xinjiang, from 2011 to 2024 using field–measured water depth data and...

In Japan, almost all Climate Citizens’ Assemblies (CCAs) to date have been held at the municipal level. Although considerable efforts have been made to produce valuable recommendations—those that go beyond existing local climate policies-, the usefulness of CCAs in Japan continues to be questioned. This case study examines two contrasting...

Fluvial sediment fluxes are reshaping coastal water colour, geomorphology, and ecological processes, yet schemes based on single-river loads or shoreline change may miss land-sea responses. We combine SSC records from 19 river stations across nine Chinese basins (2004-2024) with MODIS reflectance to characterize clearing, brightening, regional...

Changes in land use over space and time are key drivers of water pollution. However, current studies on landuse–water-quality relationships in small watersheds are insufficient to support regional development. Comparative research across large-scale watersheds can better inform water environmental protection, yet such studies remain limited. This...

Asia Pacific Roundtable for SCP (APRSCP), IGES, Thai SCP Net, and Viet Nam's Institute for Circular Economy Development co-organized a special session on "Promoting SCP model and beyond for the decarbonized and circular economy" at the 3RINCs 2026 held in Bangkok on March 9-11, 2026. The session was organized to Showcase National SCP-CE Models...