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UPDATED: Sustainable Consumption in Asia: The 6th International Symposium for Future Earth in Asia
Future Earth

UPDATED: Sustainable Consumption in Asia: The 6th International Symposium for Future Earth in Asia

Date: January 15, 2018

Click the keynote/session titles or names to access the slides.

Read a short summary and download the full report of the event. 


This international symposium addresses how low- and middle- income countries in Asia can achieve enhanced, equitable and resilient well-being without this development leading to massive ecological overshoot.

Day: Monday, 15 January 2018  10am – 17:30 pm

Venue: Clock Tower Centennial Hall I, Kyoto University (access)

Current trends in global development are not sustainable and to a large extent this is a reflection of our society’s patterns of consumption and production. The need to change the way we produce and consume has been recognized for a long time. The recently adopted United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development reaffirmed the overarching importance of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) and to “Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns” is included in the Sustainable Development Goal as a separate Goal (SDG 12).

Research on SCP has focused on “over-consuming North”, where consumerism and consumer society are most directly applicable, giving rise to an unsustainable cycle of continuous growth and increasing throughput of materials. Though in the global South, for large numbers of people insufficient consumption may be the most pressing problem, it would be misleading to portray global consumption in terms of an “over-consuming North” and an “under-consuming South.” A high-consuming middle class already exists in many countries of the South and is growing rapidly.

Bringing together researchers on SCP and actors in Japan and Asia, the Symposium aims to lay the foundation for a nuanced framing of SCP that takes account of historical developments in (post-) industrialized regions as well as the characteristics of developing societies. This event is also expected to contribute to the newly formed Future Earth Knowledge-Action Network on Systems of Sustainable Consumption and Production (KAN-SSCP) by providing perspectives from Asia.

The Symposium is open to interested citizens, researchers and practitioners.

Languages: English/Japanese simultaneous translation

Please register from here. Registration on-site is also possible.

Programme

Download the program.

Keynote 1: Sustainable Consumption 2.0: Fostering Social Innovation and Enhancing Well-being in Asia

Session 1: Leapfrogging Development – its Challenges and Opportunities  

  • Patrick Schroeder  Research Fellow, Institute of Development Studies
  • Manisha Anantharaman  Assistant Professor, Saint Mary’s College of California

Session 2: Approaches and Experiences from Japan 

Moderator: Masayo Hasegawa Senior Researcher, International Environment and Economy Institute/Future Earth Engagement Committee member

This Symposium is organized by the Regional Centre for Future Earth in Asia/Research Institute for Humanity and Nature, in collaboration with the Future Earth Research Unit, Kyoto University.

Flyer:

On Tuesday 16 January, a smaller workshop, with short presentations and lots of discussion time, will be held at RIHN.

Read a summary report on program for Day 2.