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• An LRFD framework for embankments considering climate change effects is established. • Additional partial factors are introduced to account for the climate change effects. • Non-stationary maximum flood depth is developed using a peak-over-threshold method. • Embankment reliability is evaluated against overtopping and slope failure. • The proposed framework can serve as a reference for future code design. Riverine floods have become increasingly prevalent on a global scale, posing significant risks to infrastructure systems and communities. The escalating impacts of climate change associated with the increase in rainfall intensities and frequencies necessitate the improvement of the existing design methodologies to account for the non-stationary climate change effects to ensure that the reliability is above the target level and mitigate future flood disasters. This paper presents a novel LRFD approach for river embankments subjected to extreme rainfall under non-stationary climate change effects. This approach introduces an additional partial factor to account for the effects of climate change. Precipitation and temperature projections are collected from various climate models considering several cases of emission scenarios. An integrated hydrological and hydraulic modeling of the analyzed river is carried out to estimate the associated time-variant river discharge and water surface elevation. The non-stationary extreme value associated with the maximum flood level is leveraged using the peak-over-threshold approach. The embankment reliability and the corresponding most probable points are evaluated using limit states associated with overtopping and slope failures. Based on the estimated and target reliability indexes, the design point for each random variable is assessed considering the cases with and without climate change effects. Finally, the partial factors associated with climate change effects are determined. As an illustrative example, the proposed framework is applied to the Ashida River in Fukuyama city of Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Due to globally uneven distribution of forest resources and timely difference of supply and demand, forest products are difficult to achieve market equilibrium among neighboring countries. The global forest product trade not only alleviates the contradiction of supply and demand, but also ensures the sustainable development of the economic construction for each country. Previous literature analyzed the structure and evolution mechanism of forest product trade from different perspectives, but ignored the competitive relationships among forest product importers. Based on complex network theory, this paper selected global wood forest product trade data from 2004 to 2016. Then we constructed global unweighted and weighted wood-forest-product competitive network from import perspective, and three indicators (density, average path length, and clustering coefficient), core–periphery model and two indicators of competitive intensity were introduced to study the spatial competitive evolution of global wood forest product trade among countries. The results showed that there was wide competition in global wood forest product trade among continents, and the tightness of competitive relationships gradually decreased with time. Secondly, core countries and periphery countries were clearly identified in the competitive network, and China, Japan, the U.S., were the main core countries influencing the evolution of core–periphery structure. Finally, the U.S. played an important role in the global competition system. But with the increment of demand for Asian market, China and other Asian countries gradually became the center of wood-forest-product competition. The research tried to provide some references for importers to follow the laws of global wood forest product trade, and formulate the corresponding policy under constructing sustainable society and facing climate change. • The paper considered the competitive relationship of global wood forest product trade. • TThe paper constructed global unweighted and weighted wood-forest-product competitive network, and studied spatial competitive evolution of global wood forest product trade. • The U.S. played an important role in the global competition system, but China and other Asian countries gradually became the center of global wood-forest-product competition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The evolutionary process of pipe jacking method in Japan was reviewd. • The classification system provided by the Japan Microtunneling Association was introduced. • The application status of this method is investigated based on survey data from JSTT. • SPJ and HDSPJ have better performance for the ultra-long pipe jacking construction. • Curved pipe jacking projects account for 40% of total jacking projects, and HDSPJ is most adopted for curved pipe jacking. Pipe-jacking is one of the trenchless methods being widely used for the construction and maintenance of urban underground pipelines. As an eco-friendly construction method, it has the capacity for the installation of pipelines with diameters from 100 mm (4 in.) to 5000 mm (200 in.) covering the majority needs of municipal pipeline construction and is considered the most widely used trenchless method in Japan. However, there is little English literature that systematically introduces the research and application status of pipe jacking technology in Japan, resulting in a serious underestimation of Japanese research achievements in this field. This paper briefly reviews the origin, evolutionary stages, and classification system of the pipe jacking method in Japan, and representative technological advances are also introduced through case statistics. Meanwhile, the deficiencies in the current classification system of the International Society of Trenchless Technology (ISTT) are discussed as well. In addition, the application status of this method is investigated based on survey data from the Japan Society for Trenchless Technology (JSTT). According to the survey data from 5232 projects, a systematic analysis is carried out on the selection of pipe jacking equipment, the scale of jacking construction, the profile of curved projects, and the geological adaptability of the pipe jacking method in Japan. The emphasis of this paper is to introduce the current technical situation and analyze the development trends of the pipe-jacking method based on Japan's experience, and to popularize this method in other countries that need this simple, effective, and economical construction technique under the background of climate change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One proposed strategy to solve current environmental challenges is industrial and urban symbiosis (I/UrS); however, appropriate evaluation methods are needed so that the potential benefits of I/UrS can be quantified. Several evaluation methods have been applied separately to study I/UrS, but no integrated studies have been conducted by applying different methods in the same case study area. Therefore, this study aimed to establish a comprehensive framework to evaluate I/UrS by combining the material flow analysis (MFA), carbon footprint (CF) and emergy methods. First, we developed a unified database and step-by-step process to clarify the waste distribution and recycling processes in an industrial city. Then a baseline scenario and an I/UrS scenario were set up to define the baselines and effects of I/UrS and compare the results. Finally, the three methods were applied to identify physical features in the I/UrS system. The MFA-based results showed that the use of I/UrS led to a 6.4% reduction in the physical value of material use. The CF-based results indicated that reduction of waste and by-products results in a 13.8% reduction in CO 2 e emissions. The emergy-based results showed that, with the implementation of I/UrS, the value of the emergy sustainability index (excluding labor and services) improved greatly (a 49.2% emergy reduction) as compared with the baseline case (a 14.3% reduction). In addition, the effects of implementing I/UrS by waste and by-product exchanges for blast furnace slag, scrap steel, waste paper, and waste plastic were evaluated. Whereas the CF reductions of unit ton of blast furnace slag is relatively low, emergy reductions of that is comparatively high. If policymakers only consider CF results when addressing the issue of climate change, the effects on emergy will be underestimated in this case. We conclude that the main actors in this area release huge emissions, but they also have a high potential to reduce their environmental loads. In addition, with appropriate designs, waste paper and plastics recycling could be highly efficient. Finally, the integration of the three evaluation methods should contribute to creating a low carbon and more resource independent society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Late Holocene histories of vegetation, human activity, and climate inland of the Nobi Plain, central Japan, were investigated using pollen, charcoal, and chronological (radiocarbon and pottery) analyses of the Arao-Minami archaeological sediment layers. This site was home to a large regional community from the Yayoi to Kofun periods. Agricultural production of buckwheat began before the Middle Yayoi (∼200 BC). Cultivated Poaceae increased in the warm period at ca. 2.2–1.7 cal ka BP (ca. 250 BC to ca. 250 AD), based on the pollen-based climate indices. This can be regarded as intensified wet rice agriculture occurring at this period because the archaeological examinations report the existence of paddy-field remains and rice phytoliths from the Late Yayoi to Early Kofun. This period approximately corresponds to the Roman Warm Period. Primary natural forests, such as Quercus subg. Lepidobalanus , Quercus subg. Cyclobalanopsis , Cupressaceae, and Cryptomeria , as well as cultivated Poaceae gradually decreased from ca. 1.7 to ca. 1.2 cal ka BP (ca. 250 AD to 750 AD), which corresponds to the Dark Age Cold Period. In contrast, an expansion of Pinus conifer forests and temporal rises of accumulation rates occurred in this period. Based on the evidences, we propose that the agriculture at this site temporarily changed to slash-and-burn cultivation at a nearby mountain, associated with the cold climate. In the warm period from ca. 1.2 cal ka BP (ca. 750 AD), cultivated Poaceae increased again, suggesting a return to wet rice agriculture around the site. In this paper, we conclude that ancient people who lived inland of the Nobi Plain adapted to global climate changes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract Isolated legume fruits from the early–middle Miocene Shimo Formation of the Uchiura Group in Takahama Town, Fukui Prefecture, central Japan, are described in this paper. They are unique in yielding 1-coiled or curved and terete–moniliform shapes with both simple sutures constricting uniformly. A new fossil-species, Leguminocarpum oguruiensis , is designated here. These legume specimens occur together with a number of molluscan fossils that indicate tropical–subtropical shallow marine conditions at the warmest time period during the mid-Miocene Climatic Optimum. The species was probably dispersed by the oceanic currents from southerly areas and inhabited areas with coastal vegetation where warm-temperate forest elements dominated. Highlights • Fossil legume fruits co-occurring with shallow marine organisms typical of the mid-Miocene Climate Optimum are reported. • New fossil legume fruit species, Leguminocarpum oguruiensis , is proposed. • The species was derived and dispersed from southerly areas probably by warm oceanic current during the MMCO. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

From 1997 to 2012, 114 Japanese industry associations implemented voluntary action plans, which are not enforced by laws or regulations, to reduce carbon emissions. This paper investigates whether the establishment of these voluntary action plans by industry associations contributed to the adoption of a carbon emissions target at the firm level within the associations. Using a survey of approximately 1000 firms in Japan, this paper finds that small and medium-sized firms in sectors with voluntary action plans were 2–4 times more likely to establish their own carbon emissions targets than were firms belonging to industry associations without voluntary action plans. In contrast, the paper finds that voluntary action plans did not affect the establishment of emissions targets among firms with more than 3000 employees. This result is consistent with the survey responses, which found that periodic follow-ups under a voluntary action plan helped small firms to obtain important pieces of information and that industry associations played an important role in this process. In general, small firms have relatively large potential for energy saving, but the lack of information prevents its realization. The results confirm the importance of voluntary action plans in removing the information barriers of relatively small firms and encouraging them to implement carbon emissions targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The threat of increased global warming resulting from the use of fossil fuels stresses decision-makers to formulate and adopt policies towards different sectors of the economy. In light of the great earthquake in Japan 2011, energy efficiency also plays an important role in meeting the challenge of power supply shortage. Energy policies towards industry are of particular importance as a major part of the energy in the economy is used in industrial production. The number of papers investigating and presenting experience from energy end-use policies are scarce. Furthermore, for those present, they often only include a very brief analysis. From a public point of view, evaluations of energy programs are of major importance to measure the performance of the programs. From an energy policy designer point of view, it is of major importance to not only see the cost-effectiveness of the policy but also to understand the fundamental mechanisms for the success or failure of an industrial energy program, in order to learn how to improve future programs. The aim of this paper is to present a review of energy end-use policy instrument in Japan and Sweden towards the industrial sector from 1990 to 2014, with special emphasis on industrial SMEs. From the results presented some general conclusions can be made, (1) results show that the cost-effectiveness differs substantially between the evaluated programs, and (2) that from a governmental point of view, subsidies towards energy audit programs seem like the most cost-effective policy. In addition to this (3) the results from the review also stress the importance of a clear strategy for every energy program on how the program is going to be evaluated, ex-ante or ex-post, and how the performance of the program is to be measured. This structure should be included from the start of the program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Motivated by the novel viewpoint that the two major corporate sustainability disclosure theories – that is, legitimacy theory and voluntary disclosure theory – are not exclusively competing, this study re-evaluates the two theories using our quality-based climate disclosure measures developed based on the 2018 CDP (formerly Carbon Disclosure Project) questionnaire. From Tobit and ordinal logistic regression analyses with the public chemical firms in the United States and Japan, we document that firms with higher greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are more likely to choose extensive low -quality climate change disclosure rather than high -quality. This finding supports the legitimacy theory that firms tend to utilize low -quality climate change disclosure to obfuscate and legitimize their GHG emissions. However, we do not find evidence supporting the voluntary disclosure theory that superior performers prefer extensive high -quality climate change disclosure rather than low -quality. This paper contributes to the literature by providing new theoretical insights on whether and how firms utilize quality-based climate change disclosure strategies in an attempt to achieve the goals accompanied by the two theories. Furthermore, our findings provide an important practical implication for regulators and policymakers that more concrete and stringent climate disclosure rules could effectively curb inferior performers' discretionary behavior to engage in low -quality disclosure. [Display omitted] • This study analyzes firms' purpose-driven choice of climate disclosure quality. • We developed quality-based climate change disclosure measures with multiple facets. • Legitimacy theory and voluntary disclosure theory are reconciled with each other. • Firms with high GHG emissions choose low -quality climate change disclosure. • The quality-based climate change disclosure supports the legitimacy theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Scientific papers published locally in many Asian countries are often inaccessible to researchers elsewhere due to language barriers or omission from international journal databases. This paper provides the first comprehensive review of the observed and projected impacts of climate change on plant and animal species in Japan, drawing extensively from both local and international publications. There were a number of long-term data sets on phenological and distributional changes covering more than five decades. Observed phenology records showed two characteristic trends in Japan; greater shifts of plant phenology in autumn relative to spring and delays in insect appearance dates in spring. Distribution records of insect and marine species indicated poleward range expansions of 18–140km per decade. Future projections on phenology suggested varied responses between species and possible disruptions in ecosystem functions, while those on distributions indicated potential significant range reductions and changes in species assemblages and diversity. Some of these responses are not in line with the global trends while others show changes of greater magnitude than for other regions, which highlights the importance of region-specific climate change impact assessments. The research recommends that, to improve the evaluation of climate change impacts in countries where the common languages are not English, search efforts should be expanded to include locally available data and publications. This can be facilitated by using country-specific journal databases and increasing collaboration with local researchers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• A framework for time-variant tsunami hazard assessment considering nonstationary sea-level rise effects is established. • Non-Poisson renewal process models are developed to combine randomly recurring tsunamis with nonstationary sea-level rise. • The sea-level rise uncertainty is integrated during the tsunami hazard assessment according to total probability theorem. • Tsunami hazard increases considerably when considering nonstationary sea-level rise under non-Poisson earthquake events. Tsunami-induced disasters present a significant threat to coastal communities. Under the effects of sea-level rise due to climate change, tsunami occurrence frequency and intensities would increase in a nonstationary manner due to the long-term progressive trend in the variability in sea level. Therefore, the reliability of coastal infrastructure systems affected by tsunami hazard will diminish over time. A procedure for hazard assessment that integrates tsunamis occurring at random times with evolving sea-level rise should be established. This paper presents a novel framework for the time-variant assessment of tsunami hazard considering the effects of nonstationary sea-level rise due to climate change based on a non-Poisson stochastic renewal process. A time-variant probabilistic sea-level rise is modeled by utilizing various climate models and existing data reported in several studies. The conditional tsunami hazard curves considering sea-level rise are estimated by performing tsunami propagation analyses under different sea-level rise cases and by Monte Carlo simulation, considering the uncertainties associated with earthquake fault movements. Finally, the new concept of time-variant tsunami hazard assessment considering the nonstationary effects of sea-level rise is developed according to a non-Poisson stochastic renewal process. An illustrative example is provided by applying the proposed framework to several municipalities in the Kochi Prefecture of Japan that are subjected to the anticipated Nankai-Tonankai earthquake. The effects of sea-level rise on time-variant tsunami hazard under Poisson and non-Poisson processes of earthquake occurrence are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The environmental impact of CO2 emissions has attracted increasing attention in recent years, which has redefined the modal choice between air and rail transport. Transport service provision via railway involves less marginal environmental damage than air transport, yet it entails a higher emissions burden in its infrastructure construction stage. This paper empirically investigates the environmental burden of these two transport modes by taking into account the CO2 emissions from both transport service provision and infrastructure construction. Using a panel data set from 1999 to 2007 for three Japanese railway companies and the Japanese air transport industry, which are treated as decision-making units (DMUs), this paper estimates the social efficiency of these DMUs via a nonparametric productivity measurement method that incorporates economic bads as undesirable outputs. The aviation industry is shown to be efficient, whereas results for the railway industry are mixed: JR East is efficient, JR West is inefficient throughout the observation period, and JR Tokai substantially improved its efficiency during the period to become an efficient company in 2007. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The accumulated archaeological records have shown that hunter-gatherer societies turned from mobile to sedentary ways of life through the transition from the terminal Pleistocene to the initial Holocene (ca. 15–8 ka) in Japanese Archipelago. This paper discusses the historical processes seen among prehistoric human cultures, societies, subsistence and environmental changes in this transitional period, namely the shift to the ‘Jomon’ culture. After the AT eruption, which is a huge volcanic eruption in Southern Kyushu in ca. 25000 14C BP, population contraction of large mammals as well as a rapid shift to cold/dry condition and expansion of coniferous forest pushed hunter-gatherers to change their hunting target from large mammals by broad foraging to middle to small mammals in small areas, and formed ‘matured’ regional societies. The ‘Jomon’ culture is thought to have stemmed from these societies, but is more varied, regional, and sophisticated than the Palaeolithic one resulting from the complex environmental change of the Pleistocene–Holocene transition. The emergence of oceanic climate and fine-grained ecological settings shaped the unique culture. For example, the spread of broadleaf forests supplied plentiful nuts, and continental shelves formed through coastal transgression furnished ample marine resources. Because these new ecological settings were formed, the ‘Jomon’ population could have become dependent on gathering and fishing, and shifted to a sedentary subsistence strategy. Furthermore, increase of precipitation and diverse rainfall patterns encouraged diverse ecological settings, leading to the formation of various regional Jomon cultures. This paper presents such complex trajectories for the ‘Jomon’ culture. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Understanding the Quaternary is a key to estimating what the Earth's climate will be like in the future. Such studies demand high-resolution analyses based on paleoclimatic proxy records of changing Earth's orbital forcing and solar insolation that affect the climate system. Quaternary diatom biostratigraphy and paleoceanography have been well established based on the Quaternary marine sequences obtained by piston coring and deep-sea drilling around the Japanese Islands. This paper firstly reviews the Quaternary diatom datum levels that are directly tied to magnetic polarity, and then the late Pleistocene and Holocene rhythmic fluctuations in Td' -derived SSTs (°C) which correlate with the Earth's orbital parameters, and finally reveals the large and abrupt climatic changes that have occurred around the Japanese Islands on centennial to millennial time scales. The main aim is to provide the results of Td' -SSTs (°C) based on the late Pliocene to Pleistocene sequences from three holes obtained by deep-sea drilling (DSDP-ODP). The main difference between Td' and Twt is that Twt gives 0.5 values to Xt (warm transitional taxa). Thalassiosira oestrupii is grouped with Xt in Twt but with warm-water species in Td' . Differences between the Twt and Td' -SSTs (°C) curves at Hole 436 are unremarkable. The remarkable variations of paleo-temperatures based on Td' -SSTs (°C) show four conspicuous episodes which correspond to the double precession cycle of MIS 11. In the Japan Sea, the Twt ratio remarkably decreases at 2.6 Ma due to a large increase in cold-water taxa, and indicates the beginning of the glacial age defined as the Pliocene/Pleistocene boundary. Both Twt and Td' -SSTs (°C) increase at 2.60–2.0 Ma, and coincide with the lithologic change from diatom-bearing clay with few dark-colored layers to fine-grained sediments with distinct dark–light colored cycles. Wavelet analysis of Td' -SSTs (C) at Site 798 indicates a reversed saw-tooth pattern of 48 to 24-ky periods during 1.2–0.7 Ma, and 24 to 12-ky periods during 0.7–0 Ma, resulting in a change from longer to shorter cycles. These fluctuations correlate with the Earth's orbital parameters and climatic changes on a millennial time scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A framework for incorporating uncertainties associated with sea-level rise in probabilistic tsunami hazard assessments (PTHAs) is established. • A practical approach for probabilistic sea-level rise hazard assessment is provided by utilizing the available climate models and data. • Tsunami hazard curves considering the effects of sea-level rise are estimated based on the total probability theorem. • Neglecting the effects of sea-level rise in a low-lying coastal plain can significantly underestimate tsunami hazards. Sea-level rise due to climate change could significantly exacerbate tsunami disasters since the sea level is a critical parameter affecting the intensity of tsunamis. Considering the impacts of future climate change on the ocean, a method to consider the effects of sea-level rise on the tsunami hazard intensity is needed to precisely predict future tsunami disasters. This paper presents a novel framework for probabilistic tsunami hazard assessment, considering the sea-level rise and associated uncertainties. A probabilistic assessment of the sea-level rise hazard is performed using the available data and climate models considering several climate change emission scenarios. Conditional tsunami hazard curves are estimated by conducting tsunami propagation simulations given a sea-level rise while considering the uncertainties associated with fault movement (i.e., rake angles and average stress drops). Radial-basis-function-based surrogate models and quasi-Monte-Carlo simulations are employed to obtain tsunami hazard curves. Finally, the tsunami hazard curves considering the effects of sea-level rise are estimated by convolving the corresponding regional sea-level rise hazard with the conditional tsunami hazard curves based on the total probability theorem. An illustrative example is provided, in which the proposed framework is applied to several municipalities in the Mie Prefecture of Japan that would be affected by tsunamis during the anticipated Nankai-Tonankai earthquake. The effects of sea-level rise on the tsunami hazard intensities associated with the municipalities are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Chernobyl accident had limited influence on basic research in nuclear energy. [•] Budget allocation to R&D and number of published papers have recently decreased. [•] Citation network analysis revealed reactor safety and fusion as current research trend. [•] Nuclear energy research policy will change after Fukushima disaster. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper examines the concepts of the resilient cities and environmental resilience and employ a framework of assessing resilient city and develop and trial indicators to assess the environmental resilience of local governments. As a result, the resilient city has been defined as one having the ability to respond to multiple risks. The author employs a structure consisting of the types of resilient measures (precautionary, adaptive, and conversion measures) being prepared by local governments (administrative indicators) and the types of external forces and vulnerabilities that local governments face and anticipated situations to be avoid (end points) for which such measures are being prepared, as well as quantitative (urban indicators) and qualitative (citizen indicators) assessment of the types of potential capabilities they possess. The author developed more than 130 indicators in total. Results of using a questionnaire to local governments across Japan in order to measure administrative indicators showed that threats anticipated by most local governments included earthquakes, population decreases, and increases in greenhouse-gas emissions, and the resilience measures they are implementing and preparing included promotion of renewable energy as a preventive measure and enhancement of methods of collecting and providing disaster-related information as an adaptive measure. • The resilient city has been defined as one having the ability to respond to multiple risks in Japan. • A precautionary, adaptive, and conversion resilient measures examined with local governments • The author applied more than 130 resilient indicators across Japan. • Results showed that earthquakes, population decreases, and increases in greenhouse-gas emissions are top threats in [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The objective of this paper is to address the question of what would be the real impact of energy efficiency improvements on the reduction of GHG (greenhouse gas) emissions through the deployment of energy-efficient technologies. We study the cost effectiveness of replacing current appliances with more efficient models, taking into consideration the implicit discount rate observed in people’s purchasing behavior. This is followed by a discussion of why the efficiency gap exists and how large it is. If the world were to successfully implement every negative- or zero-cost measure, the CO2 abatement potential in the global residential and commercial sector in 2020, on a conservative estimate, would be 1.4 Gt of CO2, roughly equivalent to the current CO2 emissions of India as the world fourth largest emitter. If a longer payback period is allowed, a further 1.2 Gt of opportunities, which almost amount to the current CO2 emissions of Japan as the world’s fifth largest emitter of CO2, could be gained globally at below zero-cost in 2020. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The high potential of the varved sediments of Lake Suigetsu, central Japan, to provide a purely terrestrial radiocarbon calibration model and a chronology of palaeoclimatic changes has been widely recognised for the last two decades. However, this potential has not been fully realised since the only available long sediment core from the lake (‘SG93’) was extracted from a single bore hole and was therefore interrupted by gaps of unknown duration between successive core sections. In the summer of 2006, a new sediment core (‘SG06’) was recovered from the lake. Four separate boreholes were drilled and the parallel sets of cores recovered were found to overlap completely, without gaps between segments. This new record provides the ability to test existing atmospheric radiocarbon calibration models, as well as to assess the scale of inter-regional leads and lags in palaeoclimatic changes over the last Glacial–Interglacial cycle. Multi-disciplinary analyses from SG06 are still ongoing, but a reliable description of the sedimentary sequence needs to be provided to the wider science community before major outputs from the project are released, thereby allowing fully-informed critical evaluation of all subsequent releases of data based on the SG06 record. In this paper, we report key litho-stratigraphic information concerning the SG06 sediment core, highlighting changes in the clarity of annual laminations (varves) with depth, and possible implications for the mechanism of the climate change. We also discuss the potential of the SG06 record to meet the fundamental goals of the INQUA-INTIMATE project. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The paper highlights the findings of a study from selected ecosystems in Indonesia, China and Japan. The study sought to trace changes to productive resources of ecosystems over a period of 50years; and trace the dependence of well-being of local populations on the ecosystems for the same time period. Data was collected from land-use maps, records and participatory rapid/rural appraisal (PRA) surveys in multistakeholder forums. To illustrate the changes, an indicator-based assessment framework was developed that integrates data from biophysical and socio-economic parameters. We observed that the approach (1) provides a better representation of the preferences of different stakeholders of ecosystem services, (2) fosters validation of data between the different stakeholders and (3) enables a communication and planning process among the stakeholders to sustainably utilize and manage their ecosystems. The use of spatial maps validates the relevance and utility of diachronic observations of communities and other stakeholders directly dependent on ecosystems. At the same time, they can be used to strengthen local planning processes for the development of services in the ecosystem. Such research thereby also acts as a catalyst to a social process of coordinated action to address local issues of global relevance. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Changes in the ground surface temperature (GST), propagating underground, can be recorded as thermal perturbations to the background thermal field. This paper presents a forward model of conductive propagation of GST in a layered material model with uniform thermal properties in each layer and a series of step functions as GST history. This model, which is expressed using the same mathematical form of that for a uniform thermal property model with a series of step functions as GST history, calculates subsurface temperature perturbations that originate from the GST change by superimposing numerically solved solutions of the model with surface boundary condition of a unit function. Using this model, we reconstruct the recent 500-year GST history from borehole temperature data in northern Awaji Island, southwest Japan, by Bayesian inversion. The reconstructed GST history shows the onset of warming in the mid-18th century to the early 19th century and an increase of 1.1–1.3K up to the mid-20th century. From the middle to late 20th century, the GST decreased by about 0.2K. The GST change in the 20th century fits the trend of mean annual surface air temperature records in Kobe, opposite the coast of northern Awaji Island. The GST history in northern Awaji Island differs from that in Ulsan, in the southeastern Republic of Korea, which is located at the same latitude as northern Awaji Island. Differences of the GST histories of these regions most likely reflect differences in sea surface temperatures in these regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• This paper estimates carbon emissions released by household travel demand from 47 Japanese cities. • Carbon footprint generated by private transport is found as 1.4 to 13.9 times higher than public transport. • Gasoline's direct combustion is found as the most significant reason to generate the regional difference. • The highest total carbon footprint is found in cities with fewer population. Considering its substantial and increasing contribution to global climate change, the household sector shows potential for larger carbon reductions. Among different household activities, household individual travel demands due to private or public transportation affect the environment via both direct or indirect emissions. To develop insights from a city-level perspective, carbon emissions released due to household travel demands in 47 Japanese cities were estimated in this study using the most recent available data. Given the differences in traveling preferences, spatial distribution and cluster analyses by city were also conducted. The results indicate that cities with a larger carbon footprint usually had a smaller population, whereas in megacities, less carbon per capita was released. The direct combustion of gasoline and train use were the most important factors influencing regional differences in direct and indirect emissions, respectively. The findings also indicate that customized carbon mitigation strategies that consider individual preferences and city size have a better chance of achieving decarbonization of citizen transportation in Japan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Halocarbon emissions in the building sector is increasing. • Non-Annex parties become bigger emitter instead of Annex parties. • Building sector accounts for more than half of global HFCs emissions. • Data sufficiency is key barrier for policy making. • Building cooling demand increase will push further halocarbon emissions. Estimates of the non-CO 2 greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions contributed by the buildings sector are necessary to evaluate this sector's potential for climate change mitigation. As data is lacking on fluorinated gases (F-gases) and hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) emissions from the buildings sector, this study aimed to estimate these emissions. First, the share of total global GHG emissions represented by buildings-sector emissions was estimated. Then, the HFC emissions of the buildings sectors in several countries (USA, EU, Japan, and China) are compiled. Next, based on necessary assumptions, global buildings-sector HFC emissions were estimated. Finally, this paper discusses implications for policy-makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Japan has developed a variety of national strategies and plans related to biofuels which address four main policy objectives, including reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, energy security, rural development, and realisation of a recycle-based society. This paper reviews these national strategies and plans as well as associated implementing policies, and discusses the extent to which these objectives may be achieved. This paper found that the long-term potential of biofuels to contribute to GHG reduction goals will depend not only on the rates of technological development of the second generation biofuels but also on the development of other advanced vehicles. In the medium term, the potential contribution of biofuels to rural development and realising a recycle-based society could become significant depending on the progress of technology for both second generation biofuel production and the collection and transportation of their feedstocks. The potential contribution of biofuels to Japan’s energy security is constrained by the availability of imports and the potential of domestic production. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]