Table Of ContentMiguel Esteban · Tomohiro Akiyama
Chiahsin Chen · Izumi Ikeda
Takashi Mino Editors
Sustainability
Science: Field
Methods and
Exercises
Sustainability Science: Field Methods
and Exercises
Miguel Esteban · Tomohiro Akiyama
Chiahsin Chen · Izumi Ikeda · Takashi Mino
Editors
Sustainability Science:
Field Methods and Exercises
1 3
Editors
Miguel Esteban Izumi Ikeda
Graduate Program in Sustainability Graduate Program in Sustainability
Science-Global Leadership Initiative, Science-Global Leadership Initiative,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
The University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo
Kashiwa Kashiwa
Japan Japan
Tomohiro Akiyama Takashi Mino
Graduate Program in Sustainability Graduate Program in Sustainability
Science-Global Leadership Initiative, Science-Global Leadership Initiative,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
The University of Tokyo The University of Tokyo
Kashiwa Kashiwa
Japan Japan
Chiahsin Chen
Graduate Program in Sustainability
Science-Global Leadership Initiative,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences
The University of Tokyo
Kashiwa
Japan
ISBN 978-3-319-32929-1 ISBN 978-3-319-32930-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32930-7
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016938393
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016
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Preface
The last couple of decades have seen a fundamental shift in how society perceives
it should prepare for the future, giving rise to the discipline of sustainability sci-
ence. Since the issues we are facing today are highly complex, such as climate
change and difficulty in meeting the rising energy demands while not harming the
planet, it is important that they are dealt with in an interdependent and holistic
manner. Inevitably, this requires academia to undergo a transformation from fol-
lowing a sectionalized approach to the one where different disciplines and fields
collaborate together, essentially a transdisciplinary approach.
Since establishing the Integrated Research System for Sustainability Science
(IR3S) in 2005 and the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science (GPSS) in
2007, the University of Tokyo has become a widely recognized leader not only
in advancing sustainability research, but also in attempting to apply in practice
the findings from such research. Building on the foundations and progress forged
by the IR3S and GPSS, “the Graduate Program in Sustainability Science-Global
Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI)” was established in 2011 to advance the field
of sustainability science by aiming to train the next generation of “global leaders”.
Such leaders should be characterized as individuals that are not only highly spe-
cialized in their own fields, but also have extensive knowledge of a variety of other
disciplines and are guided by ethically sound principles. Essentially, GPSS-GLI is
one of the nine competitive degree programs within the University of Tokyo that is
being supported by “Program for Leading Graduate Schools” initiative funded by
Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT).
As a collaborative effort between the Graduate School of Frontier Sciences and the
United Nations University (UNU), GPSS-GLI combines the educational resources
and international research networks of these leading institutions and thereby pro-
vides participants with the training and opportunities necessary to become global
leaders.
One of the key elements in the GPSS-GLI program to train “global leaders”
is to provide students with ample opportunity to experience the reality in the
field, framed around Global Field Exercise (GFE) and Exercises on Resilience
(ER). The exercises not only help students broaden their horizons and attempt to
v
vi Preface
holistically understand problems and develop solutions, but also serve to develop
general methodologies that students and sustainability science practitioners can
use in the field. This book attempts to summarize some of the experiences in run-
ning these GPSS-GLI courses and showcase other field works that GPSS-GLI stu-
dents have undertaken as part of their formation as sustainability science leaders.
We hope that the book will serve as a good source of background information
for those who wish to conduct field exercises in sustainability science, by illustrat-
ing the type of research that is possible, and inspire others to continue to develop
conceptual and practical ways of conducting such work.
Miguel Esteban
Tomohiro Akiyama
Chiahsin Chen
Izumi Ikeda
Takashi Mino
Contents
Part I Theories, Concepts and Methodologies in Sustainability Science
Philosophy of Field Methods in the GPSS-GLI Program: Dealing
with Complexity to Achieve Resilience and Sustainable Societies ....... 3
Takashi Mino, Miguel Esteban, Vivek Anand Asokan,
Niranji Satanarachchi, Tomohiro Akiyama, Izumi Ikeda
and Chiahsin Chen
Part II Global Field Exercises
Designing Field Exercises with the Integral Approach
for Sustainability Science: A Case Study of the Heihe River
Basin, China. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
Ricardo O. San Carlos, Heng Yi Teah, Tomohiro Akiyama and Jia Li
Field Survey Key Informant Interviews in Sustainability Science:
Costa Rica’s PES Policy of Changing Focus from Quantity to Quality .... 41
Doreen Allasiw, Yuki Yoshida, Giles Bruno Sioen, Rene Castro,
Ying Palopakon, Toshinori Tanaka, Toru Terada, Akiko Iida
and Makoto Yokohari
Part III Exercises on Resilience
Assessment of Fieldwork Methodologies for Educational Purposes
in Sustainability Science: Exercise on Resilience, Tohoku Unit 2015. . . . . 67
Ricardo O. San Carlos, Olga Tyunina, Yuki Yoshida, Aimee Mori,
Giles Bruno Sioen and Jiaqi Yang
Drawing Lessons from the Minamata Incident for the General
Public: Exercise on Resilience, Minamata Unit AY2014 ............... 93
Eri Amasawa, Heng Yi Teah, Joanne Yu Ting Khew, Izumi Ikeda
and Motoharu Onuki
vii
viii Contents
Part IV Sustainability Science Field Research
Sustainability Science as the Next Step in Urban
Planning and Design ............................................ 117
Giles Bruno Sioen, Toru Terada and Makoto Yokohari
A Methodology to Evaluate Sustainability in the Face
of Complex Dynamics: Implications for Field Studies
in Sustainability Science ......................................... 137
Niranji Satanarachchi and Takashi Mino
Sustainability Field Exercises in Rural Areas: Applying
the Community Marginalization Framework to Examine
Qualitative Changes in Rural Communities ......................... 153
Shogo Kudo
Participatory Mapping and Problem Ranking Methodology
in the Research of Sustainable Communities—Workshop
with Indigenous People Under Community-Based Forest
Management Program in the Philippines ........................... 177
Marcin Pawel Jarzebski
Rapid Sustainability Appraisal of Collapsed Jatropha Projects
in Ghana Using Local Community Perceptions: Methodological
Implications for Sustainability Science ............................. 199
Abubakari Ahmed and Alexandros Gasparatos
Index ......................................................... 229
Part I
Theories, Concepts and Methodologies in
Sustainability Science
Philosophy of Field Methods in the GPSS-
GLI Program: Dealing with Complexity to
Achieve Resilience and Sustainable Societies
Takashi Mino, Miguel Esteban, Vivek Anand Asokan, Niranji Satanarachchi,
Tomohiro Akiyama, Izumi Ikeda and Chiahsin Chen
Abstract The world is facing a multitude of pressing problems, including environ-
mental degradation, natural disasters, and social inequity, to name but a few. These
challenges are also complex and uncertain in nature, though it is crucial for human-
ity to attempt to solve them in order to achieve sustainable societies. The Graduate
Program in Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative (GPSS-GLI) of the
University of Tokyo is an academic program which looks forward to facing these
challenges. The program has a strong focus on field exercises, which attempt to
introduce students to the real situations being experienced by people. Students are
encouraged to deal with complexity by engaging the issue from a holistic (“top-
down”) and transboundary (“bottom-up”) perspective. Having a holistic view and
transboundary perspective may provide a basis to deal with the complexities and
uncertainties present in sustainability issues, where it is difficult to provide solu-
tions by thinking only of fixed end-targets. Through such efforts it is hoped that stu-
dents can understand and propose solutions on how to achieve more sustainable and
resilience societies. The present chapter will serve as an introduction to the rest of
the chapters in this book, briefly outlining the general philosophy of the GPSS-GLI
regarding Global Field Exercises (GFEs) and Exercises in Resilience (ERs).
Keywords Resilience · Sustainable societies · Field methods · Sustainability
science · Philosophy · GPSS-GLI
1 Introduction
Humanity faces an array of serious and complex issues in the 21st century, includ-
ing climate change, resource depletion, biodiversity loss, large-scale disasters,
T. Mino · M. Esteban (*) · V.A. Asokan · N. Satanarachchi · T. Akiyama · I. Ikeda · C. Chen
Graduate Program in Sustainability Science-Global Leadership Initiative,
Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo,
5-1-5 Kashiwanoha, Kashiwa, Chiba 277-8563, Japan
e-mail: [email protected]
© Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2016 3
M. Esteban et al. (eds.), Sustainability Science: Field Methods and Exercises,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-32930-7_1
