Earth System Governance Tokyo Conference: Complex
Architectures, Multiple Agents
We invite you to the Earth System Governance Tokyo
Conference, to be held 28-31 January 2013 at the United Nations University
Headquarters in Tokyo, Japan.
This event is part of the global conference series
organized by the Earth System Governance Project, a ten-year research programme
under the auspices of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global
Environmental Change (IHDP). This conference will be the fourth in a global
series organized by the Earth System Governance Project. The Earth System
Governance Tokyo Conference will be jointly hosted by the United Nations
University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), the International
Environmental Governance Architecture Research Group and the Tokyo Institute of
Technology on behalf of the Earth System Governance Project.
Key Dates
• Deadline for
paper abstracts: 1 July 2012
• Notification
of acceptance: 1 September 2012
• Full papers
due: 1 December 2012
• Conference
date: 28-31 January 2013
Conference Themes
Today, a multitude of agents plays a significant role in
earth system governance, ranging from traditional state actors to international
organizations, civil society organizations, science networks, city coalitions,
or business associations. At the same time, the overall governance architecture,
from local to global levels, is becoming more complex as a consequence of ever
increasing needs for governance and policy-development. This situation poses
fundamental questions about the impacts of fragmented and complex governance
architectures, the overall effectiveness of earth system governance, and the
ways in which multiple agents at all levels influence related processes.
This complex architecture with multiple agents is the
core research problem to be discussed at the Earth System Governance Tokyo
Conference. The conference will bring together scholars from a wide range of
disciplines as well as practitioners from diverse backgrounds to address the
nexus between the analytical problems of agency and architecture in earth
system governance, and will also consider the other analytical problems
identified in the Earth System Governance Science and Implementation Plan. The
timing of the Tokyo Conference, half a year after the United Nations Conference
on Sustainable Development (“Rio+20”), will make these discussions especially
pertinent and timely. The conference may open up new and fruitful areas of
science-policy interaction and strengthen the interface between science and
policy in earth system governance.
We invite papers on six interrelated clusters of
questions:
1. Earth System Governance Architectures in the 21st
Century: The need for reform of the global institutional architecture for
environmental and sustainable development governance has been discussed for
many years, yet little progress in the political realm has been made so far.
While some propose, for example, the creation of a world environment
organization, others argue in favour of more decentralized architectures that
try to configure multiple actors effectively. We invite papers that address
various aspects of the basic design of the architecture of earth system
governance. This includes papers that analyse advantages of centralized or
decentralized governance architectures, multi-level governance, or governance
and vision in the post-MDGs (Millennium Development Goals) era. Also important
here is an investigation of the existing architecture and of the roles of
various actors and actor networks in governance.
2. Climate and Energy Governance Architectures:
Discussions about the advantages and disadvantages of various governance
architectures have been particularly lively and fruitful in the area of climate
and energy policy. A nuclear disaster in the aftermath of the March 2011
earthquake and tsunami in Japan highlighted even more the importance of
effective and accountable governance in this domain at all levels. We thus
invite papers that explore options for more effective architectures of future
climate and energy governance. Papers could address, for example, effective multilevel
governance architectures in the nexus between climate and energy security, or
the optimal mechanisms to facilitate low carbon technology transfer, or the
kind of partnerships that could combine actors of different scales and within
and among different regions. Also important is how to fill the policy,
implementation and financial gaps in designing the next generation of climate
governance architectures.
3. The Nexus between Architecture and the other “A’s” in
Earth System Governance: One of the most important research questions in the
area of earth system governance is the intersection between architecture and
the other four analytical problems (the “5 A’s”) identified in the Earth System
Governance Science and Implementation Plan. Hence, we invite papers that
explore these linkages and interactions. For instance, how can equity and
fairness concerns (‘Allocation and Access’) be addressed in the design and
implementation of environmental and development institutions? In what ways can
private actors (‘Agency’) be held accountable (‘Accountability’) in
environmental governance architectures?
What types of resource re-distribution and social conflicts are created
(‘Allocation and Access’) by different ways of structuring efforts
(‘Architecture’) to enhance the resilience of social-ecological systems
(‘Adaptiveness’)?
4. Political Dynamics in the Interface of Agency and
Architecture: How can we recognize emerging agents in earth system governance?
For example, how does increasing power of the major emerging economies change
the political dynamics and thereby influence the overall governance
architecture? What would be the role of regional integration? How to avoid
politicization of science bodies, while ensuring political influence? We invite
here papers that explore political dynamics of earth system governance in the
interface of agency and architecture.
5. Methodological Challenges to Complex Architectures and
Multiple Agents: Earth system governance research requires new and emerging
technology developments as well as collaboration between social sciences,
natural sciences and engineering. We thus also invite papers that utilize
innovative technology and methodology in analysing problems related to
complexity. They may include, for example, new approaches and findings in the
application of agent-based modelling, GIS, socio-economic modelling, or more
philosophical approaches and further development of the philosophy of science
and the role of post-normal science approaches etc.
6. Special Conference Stream on Nuclear Safety and
Post-disaster Governance: Nuclear disaster in the aftermath of the March 2011
earthquake and tsunami in Japan posed many governance questions. How should
nuclear be governed? What lessons could we learn from the evacuation process?
What is the role of science in the face of emergency? What are the causal
relationships between energy governance in Japan, which are centred on strong
energy companies, and the effectiveness of the response to the nuclear disaster
that began in March 2011? There will be a special conference stream devoted for
the issues highlighting nuclear and disaster.
* Background:
The challenge of establishing effective strategies for
mediating the relationship between humans and the natural world represents one
of the most daunting tasks in the quest for environmental sustainability at all
levels, from the local to the global. Environmental problems, such as climate
change, biodiversity loss, water quality and access problems, soil erosion and
others, call into question the fundamental viability of how humans have
organized the relationship between society and nature. There is an urgent need
to identify and develop new strategies for steering societies towards a more
sustainable relationship with the natural world.
The Earth System Governance Project was launched in 2009
to address these problems of environmental governance. In this project, “earth
system governance” is defined as the interrelated system of formal and informal
rules, rule-making mechanisms and actor-networks at all levels of human society
(from local to global) that are set up to steer societies towards preventing,
mitigating, and adapting to global and local environmental change and earth
system transformation, within the normative context of sustainable development.
The Earth System Governance Project’s Science Plan (available at
http://www.earthsystemgovernance.org) is organized around five analytical
problems. Architecture relates to the emergence, design and effectiveness of
governance arrangements. Agency addresses questions of who governs the earth
system and how. Adaptiveness research explores the ability of governance
systems to change in the face of new knowledge and challenges as well as to
enhance adaptiveness of social-ecological systems in the face of major
disturbances. Accountability refers to the democratic quality of environmental
governance arrangements. Finally, allocation and access deal with justice,
equity, and fairness. These analytical problems are united by the cross-cutting
themes of power, knowledge, norms and scale.
The Earth System Governance Project is a core project of
the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change
(IHDP) under the auspices of the International Social Science Council (ISSC),
the International Council for Science (ICSU), and the United Nations University
(UNU).
* Abstract Submission:
We invite abstracts on one of these six conference themes
from scholars in the social and natural sciences, as well as practitioners,
from the global South and North. Abstracts must be submitted electronically
through the conference website http://tokyo2013.earthsystemgovernance.org by 1
July 2012 and may not exceed 300 words. All abstracts will be evaluated in
double-blind peer-review by several members of the conference review panel. For
additional information on the Earth System Governance Project, including its
Science and Implementation Plan, please visit www.earthsystemgovernance.org.
* Hosts
International
Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change Earth System
Governance Project
United Nations
University Institute of Advanced Studies
International
Environmental Governance Architecture Research Group
* Co-hosts and Sponsors
The Japan
Foundation Center for Global Partnership (CGP)
Institute for
Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Tokyo
Institute of Technology
Institut du
Développement Durable et des Relations Internationals (IDDRI)
L’Agence
Nationale de la Recherche (ANR)
Japan Science
and Technology Agency (JST)
* International Steering Committee
• Prof. Steinar
Andresen, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway
• Prof. Frank
Biermann, VU University Amsterdam, The Netherlands
• Dr. Karin
Bäckstrand, Lund University, Sweden
• Prof. Michele
M. Betsill, Colorado State University, United States of America
• Prof. Susana
Camargo Vieira, Universidade de Itaúna, Brazil
• Dr. Mark
Elder, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan
• Prof. Joyeeta
Gupta, UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education, and VU University Amsterdam,
The Netherlands
• Prof. Peter M.
Haas, University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States of America
• Prof. Hironori
Hamanaka, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan
• Dr. Yasuko
Kameyama, National Institute for Environmental Studies, Tsukuba, Japan
• Prof.
Norichika Kanie, Tokyo Institute of Technology, and United Nations University
Institute of Advanced Studies, Japan
• Dr. Louis
Lebel, Unit for Social and Environmental Research, Chiang Mai University,
Thailand
• Prof. Diana
Liverman, University of Arizona, and Oxford University, United States of
America
• Prof. Shunji
Matsuoka, Waseda University, Tokyo Japan
• Prof. Isao
Sakaguchi, Gakushuin University, Japan
• Dr. Heike
Schroeder, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
• Prof. Bernd
Siebenhüner, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg, Germany
• Dr. Laurence
Tubiana, Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales
(IDDRI), France
• Prof. Kazuhiro
Ueta, Kyoto University, Japan
• Prof. Takahiro
Yamada, Tokyo Metropolitian University
• Prof. Oran R.
Young, University of California at Santa Barbara, United States of America
* Lead Faculty, Earth System Governance Project
• Prof. Arun
Agrawal, University of Michigan, United States of America
• Prof. Steinar
Andresen, Fridtjof Nansen Institute, Norway
• Prof. Ken
Conca, American University, United States of America
• Prof. Leila da
Costa Ferreira, University of Campinas, Brazil
• Prof. Bharat
H. Desai, Jawaharlal Nehru University, India
• Prof. John S.
Dryzek, Australian National University, Australia
• Prof. Carl
Folke, Stockholm University, and Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Sweden
• Prof. Roberto
P. Guimarães, Getulio Vargas Foundation, and State University of Campinas,
Brazil
• Prof. Peter M.
Haas, University of Massachusetts at Amherst, United States of America
• Prof. Hironori
Hamanaka, Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, Japan
• Prof. Jia
Wenhua, China University of Political Science and Law, China
• Prof. Andrew
Jordan, University of East Anglia, United Kingdom
• Dr. Tatiana
Kluvánková-Oravská, Slovak Academy of Sciences, Slovakia
• Prof. Ma
Zhong, Renmin University of China, China
• Dr. Elizabeth
L. Malone, Joint Global Change Research Institute, United States of America
• Prof. James
Meadowcroft, Carleton University, Canada
• Prof. Ronald
B. Mitchell, University of Oregon, United States of America
• Prof. Peter
Newell, University Sussex, United Kingdom
• Prof.
Sebastian Oberthür, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium
• Prof. Hiroshi
Ohta, Waseda University, Japan
• Prof. Lennart
Olsson, Lund University, Sweden
• Prof. Arthur
Petersen, VU University Amsterdam; and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment
Agency, The Netherlands
• Prof. Qi Ye,
Tsinghua University, China
• Dr. R.B.
Singh, University of Delhi, India
• Prof. Will
Steffen, Australian National University, Australia
• Prof. Simon
Tay, National University of Singapore, Singapore
• Dr. Laurance
Tubiana, Institut du Développement Durable et des Relations Internationales
(IDDRI), France
• Prof. Kazuhiro
Ueta, Kyoto University, Japan
• Prof. Arild
Underdal, University of Oslo, Norway
• Prof. Eduardo
Viola, University of Brasilia, Brazil
• Prof. Wang
Canfa, China University of Political Science and Law, China
• Prof. Oran R.
Young, University of California at Santa Barbara, United States of America
* Funding Support:
We are trying our best to secure some funding to be
available to support conference participation by early–career colleagues and
those from developing countries. More information will be made available on the
conference website.
For additional information on the Earth System Governance
Tokyo Conference, please e-mail us here:
TokyoESG2013@ias.unu.edu
We look forward to welcoming you to the first Earth
System Governance conference in Asia!
On behalf of all organizers, sponsors, and co-hosts,
Norichika KANIE
kanie@valdes.titech.ac.jp
Chair, 2013 Earth System Governance Tokyo Conference
Erin Kennedy
TokyoESG2013@ias.unu.edu
Conference Manager, 2013 Earth System Governance Tokyo
Conference
