Publications Search

Cultural landscapes represent a nexus of cultural values, traditions, and land-use practices; hence, they are essential areas to capture embedded values where humans and nature are interconnected. Understanding these multi-faceted human-nature relationships is crucial for transitioning to sustainable futures. Cultural ecosystem services, relational...

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its accompanying 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) provides as a comprehensive framework to address the world's most pressing sustainability challenges. However, with the 2030 deadline fast-approaching, progress on the SDGs remains woefully insufficient. At present, the world is only on track to...

Local-level follow-up and review (FUR) is essential for realising the 2030 Agenda, given municipalities' crucial role in delivering SDG targets. However, Japanese municipalities face significant challenges, including capacity constraints, demographic shifts, financial limitations, and the absence of mandatory national SDG directives. This policy...

Japan, as an island nation with limited natural resources, has an energy self-sufficiency rate of only 13%, ranking 37th out of 38 OECD countries. Since over 97% of fossil fuels are imported, domestic energy prices are significantly influenced by international conditions and the exchange rate of the Japanese yen. The Ukrainian war and the...

Although water is a vital finite resource for sustaining life, it is under constant pressure from anthropogenic activities. Among the different types of surface water, lakes are particularly difficult to restore once water quality deteriorates due to their hydrological cycles and complex dynamics. This study compares policy implementation and its...

Rivers play a crucial role in nutrient cycling, yet are increasingly affected by eutrophication due to anthropogenic activities. This study focuses on the Barato River in Hokkaido, Japan, employing an integrated approach of field measurements and Sentinel-2 satellite remote sensing to monitor eutrophication as the river experiencing huge sewage...

With nearly 70 % of the global population expected to live in urban areas by 2050, cities will need to manage energy transitions to achieve ambitious carbon neutrality goals. As the current rate of decarbonization in cities is too slow to achieve these ambitious goals, feasible pathways toward deep decarbonization are becoming increasingly urgent...

Japan is considered a water-rich country. Yet, recent socioecological history suggests that the country has undergone some drastic changes in its water environment as an extended effect of its post-war industrialization and urbanization. On the other hand, Japan also houses ingenious and time-tested methods of water management in its traditional...

The Institute for Global Environmental Strategies organized "the SDGs Global Human Resource Program that Connects Learning and Society through Environmental Issues" in FY2024 under UNESCO Activity Grant by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT). Total of seventeen university and graduyate school students...

This article examines the implications of demographic decline for local governments, with a focus on small Japanese municipalities that are already navigating the challenges of population loss. Drawing on examples like Yubari, Suzu, and Manazuru, it explores how some towns are rethinking growth-oriented planning and experimenting with alternative...