Expert Conference on Development of Island's Sustainable Societies (2014)
Date
Location
Description
Island regions all face common issues such as the conservation of natural environments, mitigation of climate changes, disaster prevention, securing energy sources and waste treatment. At a closer look, these issues are all interconnected and need to be addressed through initiatives unique to islands.
For example, coral reefs and mangrove forests contribute in a variety of ways, including mitigating global warming by fixing carbon dioxide, preventing or mitigating disasters by serving as natural barriers, and providing tourism resources, among other ecological services (gifts of nature). However, these ecosystems are under various threats, such as coral bleaching caused by rises in sea temperature as a result of global warming, and development of the coastline including areas around estuaries. These conditions are particularly prevalent in island regions.
While it has become a common notion that renewable energy sources will play a crucial role in preventing global warming, their unstable output remains a major obstacle to their widespread application. Meanwhile, an increasing number of people are turning their attention to new sources of energy contained within the ocean, such as wind and tides, which hold vast potential for harvesting renewable energy. Apart from renewable energy, waste treatment is a pressing issue on islands compared with the mainland, making 3R (reduce, reuse, recycle) initiatives a more urgent concern on islands.
To realize and achieve the goals of these initiatives, each and every one of us must become aware of their importance and take action. The aim of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) is to raise people's awareness of these issues, and it is an integral part of the initiatives to realize a low-carbon, recycling, sustainable society that exists in harmony with nature.
It is against this backdrop that the "International Conference on Climate Change and Coral Reef Conservation" was held in Okinawa in June last year, to share information on environmental problems faced by island countries and potential measures to address them. The chair also presented a summary, emphasizing the need to greatly boost cooperation between island countries, with Okinawa spearheading the efforts.
Building upon last year’s conference, this year, experts will gather to discuss these common issues and specific initiatives pertaining to island countries with the aim of contributing to the further advancement of research and proposing to the world a sustainable development model unique to islands, which utilizes their abundant renewable energy and remarkably rich ecosystems.
Please see below for the conference program. For more information on the conference, please visit the Conference Website.
The conference is free of charge, but registration is required by June 23rd. For registration please go to the visit theConference Registration Page (http://www.env.go.jp/nature/biodic/ecdisso2014/en/index.html#register)
Conference Program
2014/06/29 SUNDAY
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13:00-14:00 |
Opening Ceremony [Place: Seminar Room B250] |
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Opening speech by the Organizers |
Soichiro Seki (Director-General, Global Environment Bureau, Ministry of the Environment - Japan) |
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Opening speech by Co-Organizers |
Jonathan M. Dorfan (President, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University - Japan) |
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Keynote speech |
Rajesh Chandra (Vice-Chancellor and President, University of the South Pacific - Fiji) |
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14:30-17:00 |
Sectional Meetings |
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Sectional Meeting 1 : Conservation of Nature Environment (Coral Reef Conservation and Sustainable Regional Development) |
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Facilitator |
Makoto Tsuchiya (Professor Emeritus, University of the Ryukyus - Japan) |
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Panelists |
· Masako Nakamura (Researcher, Marine Biophysics Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University - Japan) · Yoshimi Higa (Onna Village Fisheries Cooperative - Japan) · Masashige Zamami (Mayor of Tokashiki Village, Okinawa Prefecture - Japan) · Satoru Miyazato (Mayor of Zamami Village, Okinawa Prefecture / Chairman of Zamami Village Tourism Association / Committee Member of Council of Okinawa Development - Japan) · Hidefumi Toma (Director General, Department of Environmental Affairs of Okinawa Prefectural Government - Japan) · Niphon Phongsuwan (Expert on Environment and Resources in Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Research, Department of Marine and Coastal Resources - Thailand) · Noah Idechong (Fisheries Adviser to Minister of Natural Resources, Environment and Tourism - Palau) · Takashi Nakamura (Lecturer, Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus - Japan) |
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Sectional Meeting 2 : Mitigation of Climate Change [Place: Seminar Room C209] |
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Facilitator |
Jun-ichiro Giorgos Tsutsumi (Professor, University of the Ryukyus - Japan) |
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Panelists |
· Ichitaro Noguchi (Mayor of Goto City, Nagasaki Prefecture - Japan) · Kiyohito Shimabukuro (Director & General Manager, Remote Islands Energy Services Department, The Okinawa Electric Power Co., Inc. - Japan) · Hiroaki Kitano (Professor (Adjunct), Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University - Japan) · Peter Nuttall (Research Fellow, Sustainable Sea Transport Research Programme, Pacific Centre of Environment and Sustainable Development (PaCE-SD), University of the South Pacific - Fiji) · Ahmed Ali (Director General, Ministry of Environment and Energy - Maldives) · Gregorio Decherong (Director, Palau Energy Office, Ministry of Public Infrastructure, Industries and Commerce - Palau) |
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Sectional Meeting 3 : Waste Management and 3R [Place: Seminar Room C210] |
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Facilitator |
Kunitoshi Sakurai (Professor Emeritus, Okinawa University - Japan) |
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Panelists |
· Shiro Amano (Chief Advisor, J-PRISM (Japanese Technical Cooperation Project for Promotion of Regional Initiative on Solid Waste Management in Pacific Island Countries), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) - Japan) · Choudhury Rudra Charan Mohanty (Environment Programme Coordinator, United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) - Japan) · Hideshige Takada (Professor, Faculty of Agriculture, Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology - Japan) · Christina Fillmed (Executive Director, Yap EPA - Micronesia) · 'Ofa Tu'ikolovatu (CEO, 'Uiha and Son Ltd / GIO Recycling - Tonga) · Samuela Newa Namosimalua (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Local Government, Urban Development, Housing and Environment - Fiji) |
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2014/6/30 MONDAY
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9:30-12:00 |
Sectional Meeting |
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Sectional Meeting 4 : Adaptation to the Impacts of Climate Change (Ecosystem-based Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction) [Place: Seminar Room B250] |
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Facilitator |
Shigeyuki Baba (Professor Emeritus, University of the Ryukyus / Executive Director, International Society for Mangrove Ecosystems (ISME) - Japan) |
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Panelists |
· Eizo Nakaza (Vice President, University of the Ryukyus - Japan) · Taikan Oki (Professor, Institute of Industrial Science, The University of Tokyo - Japan) · Naoya Furuta (IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Senior Project Officer - Japan) · Damasa B. Magcale-Macandog (Professor, Institute of Biological Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños - Philippines) · David Sheppard (Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) - Samoa) · Kiali Molu (Chief of Protocol, Department of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade, Tourism, Environment and Labour - Tuvalu) · Tilia Tao Tima (Assistant Environment Officer / Biodiversity Officer, Department of Environment, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trades, Tourism, Environment and Labour - Tuvalu) · Hajime Kayanne (Department of Earth and Planetary Science, Graduate School of Science, The University of Tokyo - Japan) |
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13:00-13:45 |
Side Event [Place: Seminar Room B250] |
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Theme |
Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) activities |
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Name |
· Junko Oshima (Associate Professor, Dep./Grad. Sch. of Tourism Sciences, University of the Ryukyus / Director, The Japan Council on the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (ESD-J) - Japan) · Loraiti Binti Lolin (Rainforest Discovery Centre, Sabah Forestry Department - Malaysia) |
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14:00-15:00 |
Closing Session [Place: Seminar Room B250] |
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Report from each sectional meeting |
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Website URL
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